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Inde 



X 

Page 

The Farmer ^. 1 

Why the Demand for Silos 8 

The Silo 9 

Place of the Silo in Humid Section 10 

Place of the Silo in Limited Rainfall 11 

Silage Feeding 12 

Silage Crops 17 

Making the Silage 18 

Silo Construction..... _ 22 

Acreage Required to I'ill Silo 23 

Wooden Silos 25 

Concrete Silos 27 

Underground Silo.. 30 

The Test of Cottonseed Meal and Silage 33 

Marketing 39 

Slaughter Test 40 

Financial Outcome 40 

Economy of the Silo 41 

An Era of Silo Building 43 

When Farmers Produce More 44 

The Silo on a Texas Dairy Farm 45 

Growmg Crops to Fill the Silo 49 

Cost of Filling the Silo : 50 

Feeding Value 51 

Feeding Silage in the Southwest 52 

The Road to More Prime Beef 54 

Years of Good Prices Ahead. 55 

Fewer Cattle for Corn Belt Feeders..... 56 

Feeding Methods Discussed 58 

Suggestion on Feeding Corn Ensilage 59 

How to Make Money 60 

Silo Conclusions 61 

Every Dairyman Should Have a Silo 62 

More Facts About Silos 63 



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/7 



Silos 
and Their 

Uses --. 



Issued by 

The Silo Publishing Company 

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS 



.^5S 



1914 

Copyrighted by 

The Silo Publishing Company 

San Antonio, Texas 



AUGI4I9I^^,,,„„27 



The Farmer 

By Alice L. Webb. 



Who used to be the butt of jokes? 

The farmer. 
Who stood in awe of city folks? 

The farmer. 
Who bought the gold bricks and said, ' ' I vum ! ' 
And wished that he had stayed "tew hum"? 
Who got least for his work, by gum? 

The farmer. 
Why buys the autos nowadays? 

The farmer! 
Who pays the tax for good highways? 

The farmer ! 
Who feeds us all from day to day, 
And gives us good, strong men? I say 
Who owns this blessed U. S. A.? 

The farmer ! 



Why the Demand for a Silo? 

There is but one answer — the prosperous farmer of to-day 
reads, and realizes the economic changes that are assisting and 
materially affecting all other industries. Progress, improved 
machinery, economy, are as necessary to the success of the farm 
as to any industry in the world. The wasted by-products of yes- 
terday is converted into a utilized and profitable product of 
to-day. This most pronounced step of progress and economy 
was accomplished on the farm when the Silo came to the farmers' 
rescue. 

The farmers are just beginning to centralize their efforts; 
granges are springing up like mushrooms in all parts of the coun- 
try ; they meet and hear what their fellow-farmers have to say. 
The Government or State experts impart to them their knowl- 
edge from experiments carried on, regardless of expense, from 
year to year. The wise man is he who benefits himself by the 
experience of others. 

Too many crops are raised for the fruit alone, the straw, the 
stalks, the by-products being cast into the barn-yard and allowed 
to waste. The Silo came to solve one of these problems. It 
presented an always ready economical way of saving a large 
crop with the least possible waste. It converted the cornstalk 
from an otherwise withered unpalatable fodder to a sweet suc- 
culent food in a cheap, convenient and desirable form. It has 
done more than this (if you so choose) — it provides for the 
whole crop, the grain, the stalk undivided, to be fed at your 
pleasure with no other mechanical agency or expense, converting 
the labor of a winter into a few days. 

Advantages of the Silo 

1. Silage keeps young stock thrifty and growing all winter. 

2. It produces fat beef more cheaply than does dry feed. 

3. It enables cows to produce milk and butter more economi- 
cally. 

4. Silage is more conveniently handled than dry fodder. 

5. The silo prevents waste of corn stalks, which contain about 
one-third the food value of the entire crop. 

6. There are no aggravating corn stalks in the manure when 
silage is fed. 

7. The silo will make palatable food or stuff that would not 
otherwise be eaten. 

8. It enables a larger number of animals to be maintained on 
a given number of acres. 



9. It enables the farmer to preserve food which matures at a 
rainy time of the year, when drying would be next to impossible. 

10. It is the most economical method of supplying food for 
the stock during the hot, dry periods in summer, when the pas- 
ture is short. 

Ten Factors of Profitable Farming 

The ten essential factors of profitable farming, as recently set 
forth by Dr. W. J. Spillman, of the Federal Office of Farm 
Management, are : 

1. Low real-estate prices for the land cultivated. 

2. Production of commodities for which the supply is less than 
the demand. 

3. Management of the business on as large a scale as capital 
and managerial ability will permit. 

4. Production fo commodities of the highest quality. 

5. A reputation for reliability. 

6. Location for good markets available, and ability to buy and 
sell profitably. 

7. Keeping only animals of highest productive capacity. 

8. Large yields with relatively little labor and fertilizer. 

9. Production at low cost. 

10. Production of staple commodities for permanent profits. 

The Silo 

The silo is a large cylindrical tank or cistern having air-tight 
walls and bottom, the height or depth being approximately twice 
the diameter. It is made for the purpose of storing and pre- 
serving green fodder in a chopped-up condition, keeping it in 
its green state for feeding all classes of live stock at times when 
natural green pasture is not available. This preserved green 
feed is called silage. By the use of the- silo the entire plant, 
including stalks, leaves and seed, is "canned" very much as a 
housewife cans or preserves fruit and vegetables. 

Not an Experiment. — While the silo is new throughout the 
Southwest, yet it has been in use in the United States for over 
thirty years, ninety-two farmers using them as early as 1882. 
It has long ago passed the experimental stage. Those who have 
used it most extensively are its most enthusiastic supporters. 
It is generally true that the farmer or stockman who constructed 
his silo long enough ago to thoroughly try out the silage with 
his stock has already built another, or perhaps a third one. 

Advantages of the Silo. — The silo eliminates practically all 
waste in connection wdth the feeding of live stock. One ton of 



cured forage will make three tons of silage, so that on farms 
where the forage has heretofore been cut and cured the quantity 
has been increased two-thirds when handld through the silo. 

Loss in Field Curing. — Under field conditions of curing fodder 
much of its feeding value is lost. Various governmental experi- 
ment stations report this loss from 30 to 50 per cent. These 
reports do not consider losses caused by the wind blowing away 
the leaves and filling the fodder with sand and dirt. When we 
take all of these factors into consideration it is safe to estimate 
this loss at from 50 to 60 per cent. In other words, fully half 
of the feeding value is lost, resulting from field curing and dry 
fodder feeding, as is now commonly practiced throughout the 
Southwest. 

Loss in Silo. — Silage retains practically all of the feed value 
together with all of the succulence and palatability of the green 
crop. Every farmer knows the value of green kaffir or sorghum 
when fed to his dairy cows, steers, sheep, hogs and horses when 
pastures are dry and short. This indicates the value of an equal 
quantity of silage given to the same animals in the winter. 
Good silage is equal in feeding value to the green crop. 

Silage may be considered as winter pasture. The silo makes 
it possible to supply live stock with June feeds in winter months. 

Experimental data show that the total loss on feeds stored 
in the silo does not exceed 10 per cent, if the crops are properly 
handled, in well constructed silos. This slight loss is unavoid- 
able and is largely due to surface spoilage and to certain chemi- 
cal changes which take place. Thus the live-stock farmer with- 
out the silo often divides one-half of what he raises with the 
elements, when the silo will save at least 90 per cent of it. 

Place of the Silo in Humid and 
Irrigated Sections 

The farmer in the humid or irrigated section states that the 
silo is an absolute necessity with him. He has found out that 
the silo will take the place of pasture where land is getting ex- 
tremely high in price. He finds silage as valuable for summer 
as winter feeding. It is the farmer described above who has 
found out that the silo saves all the feed by making use of the 
entire crop, stores economically and safely, provides a succulent 
feed equal to grass, reduces the cost of feeding, stimulates milk 
production, produces growth and beef cheaply, reduces to a 
minimum the labor of saving and feeding, and' is a feed on which 
all classes of live stock do well. 

—10— 



Place of the Silo in Sections of 
Limited Rainfall 



Conditions are more favorable to silos in the Southwest than 
in any other section of the United States, and the use is more 
necessary and of greater benefit. Here it is that live stock must 
be combined with diversified farming. Under limited rainfall 
conditions there are very few cash crops. Kaffir, milo maize, 
and sorghum are the sure crops and in some high-altitude sec- 
tions corn will take the place of kaffir and milo maize. The 
farmer who produces the crops named cannot afford to sell 
them for cash, especially when he stops to consider that he can 
realize more than twice as much out of them if handled through 
live stock. Again, the farmer or stockman who handles live 
stock cannot afford to feed the dry feed when he can make the 
same feed go more than twice as far if handled through the silo. 

The silo permits the storage of crops produced in good sea- 
sons for use in seasons of total or partial crop failure. Again, 
the silo is always ready for storing crops that fail to fully ma- 
ture. If a kaffir or milo maize crop gets only partially matured, 
and on account of dry weather or late season will not complete 
its growth, it can be made into silage at any time, thus pre- 
serving the entire crop that would otherwise be practically 
worthless. The immature crop placed in the silo is often worth 
more than if it had matured and been fed dry These features 
are of great importance to the dry-land farmer, giving him a 
practical insurance of a continuous feed supply. 

7s this Business-like? — This question is worthy of closest con- 
sideration ! Thousands of farmers throughout the Southwest 
are working hard the year around raising and caring for their 
fodder crops, and then when these crops are matured 50 per 
cent of the gross results are allowed to waste through the lack 
of silos. Enough good feed is going to waste every year on the 
average farm to build a silo that would hold it, and the silo 
is good for many years' use if properly constructed and handled. 

Mr. C. M. Steed of Clovis, New Mexico, who owns an under- 
ground silo having a capacity of 135 tons, recently made the 
following statement to the writer: "My silo cost $250, and I 
have been milking about 75 cows on an average for the past 
winter, there being fed a large ration of silage. I have saved 
enough on my bran bill alone this past winter to pay for my 
silo. My silo is giving perfect satisfaction, despite the fact that 
it cost more than it should to construct it. My plans of con- 
struction were poor and if I had it to do over I could build it 
very much cheaper." 

—11— 



Silos and Stock Farming Necessary 

The bulk of the crops of the Southwest are feed crops, and 
these cannot be considered as cash crops. . To get the greatest 
cash income from these crops they must be marketed on the 
hoof. By combining good tillage methods with live stock farm- 
ing, silage crops can be produced every year. The entire South- 
west is a natural live stock country. We must bring the stock 
to the feed, instead of shipping the feed to the stock. At pres- 
ent the entire Southwest is not producing enough finished beef, 
pork, mutton or poultry products to supply its own demands. 

The beef animal, dairy cow, hog and hen are the factors that 
must change our southwestern feed-stuffs into more marketable 
products. It is through this class of live stock that the agricul- 
tural possibilities of this country will be developed. 



Silage Feeding 



Silage for Dairy Cows. — From the date of introduction of 
silos in this country, dairymen more than any other one class 
have found silage an ideal feed. The chief value of silage for 
dairy cows is in the succulence afforded, placing it on a par 
with grass for milk production. Silage not only supplies a 
cheap source of winter succulence, but will also supplant the 
dry pastures of midsummer, or it may take the place of the 
pasture system entirely. 

As with other farm animals, dairy cows should be fed rough- 
age in the form of hay or fodder in addition to silage. Forty 
pounds of silage per day is plenty for a cow. The amount of 
silage fed depends on the amount of other feed given. Silage 
should be fed after milking, and not before or during the milk- 
ing period, as feeding at this time prevents the silage odor from 
getting into the milk. 

Less Grain Required. — The results of an experiment conducted 
by the Ohio Experiment Station on this subject, as found in 
Bulletin No. 155, show the following: 

One lot of cows received over 50 per cent of the dry matter 
from silage and less than 18 per cent from grain. The second 
lot of cows received over 57 per cent of dry matter from grain 
and no silage. The production of the two lots per 100 pounds 
of dry matter fed was as follows: 

Cows fed silage produced 96.7 pounds of milk and 5.08 pounds 
of butter fat. 

Cows fed grain produced 81.3 pounds of milk and 3.90 pounds 
of butter fat. 

This shows the silage-fed lot to have produced nearly one- 

—12— 



sixth more milk and one-fourth more butter fat than the lot 
given grain ration, and at very much less expense. 

Recent results in silage feeding in Minnesota on 12 herds of 
216 cows showed an average net profit of $33.04 per cow, while 
16 herds with a total of 239 cows — to which no silage was fed — 
showed only a profit of $22.98 per cow. This case shows that 
silage increased the net profit per head to somewhat more 
than $10. 

How to Feed Silage to Dairy Cows. — Following are good dairy 
balanced rations for our conditions: 

1. Silage 40 pounds and fodder (milo or kaffir) 10 pounds, 
wheat-bran 5 pounds and cotton-seed meal 3 pounds. 

2. Silage 30 pounds, millet hay 10 pounds, kaffir or milo chops 
4 pounds, bran 3 pounds, and cotton-seed meal 2 pounds. 

3. Silage 40 pounds, millet 8 pounds, bran 41/0 pounds, cotton- 
seed meal 3 pounds. 

4. Silage 40 pounds, cow-pea or peanut hay 8 pounds, kaffir 
chops 5 pounds, cotton-seed meal 2y2 pounds. 

5. Silage 40 pounds, sorghum 10 pounds, kaffir or milo chops 
3 pounds, cotton-seed meal 2i/4 pounds. 

6. Silage 20 pounds, alfalfa 20 pounds, kaffir or milo chops 
3 pounds. 

7. Silage 40 pounds, cow-pea hay 15 pounds. 

8. Silage 40 pounds, bran 6 pounds, ground field peas 6 
pounds. 

Corn will replace grain or fodder in any of the above rations 
where kaffir or milo maize is mentioned. 

The above balanced rations are calculated as the total amount 
of feed needed for an entire day for a cow in full milk, weigh- 
ing the neighborhood of 1,000 pounds, the animal to be fed 
twice a day, one-half of the ration to be fed at each feeding, 
it will be seen from the havoe rations — Nos. 4, 6, and 7 — that 
such feeds as cow-pea hay, peanut hay and alfalfa hay decrease 
the grain ration very much. Many dairymen find that they 
get extra good milk yields without any grain in connection with 
plenty of silage, alfalfa, cow-pea or peanut hay. It will, how- 
ever, pay to feed a small amount of grain with these rations. 
The three hays mentioned are especially rich in protein or milk- 
producing elements, but this is not true of millet and the dry 
fodders. The best grain feeds to buy are cotton-seed meal and 
wheat bran, both of which are rich in protein. However, it is 
dangerous to feed live stock too much cotton seed meal, espe- 
cially dairy cows, 3 pounds per day being considered as the 
maximum amount for a cow. Where alfalfa cannot be produced 
the farmer will certainly find it profitable to raise cow peas, 
field peas or peanuts for hay. By doing this it will not be nec- 
essary to buy or ship in much of such feeds as cotton-seed meal 
and bran to supply the protein or nitrogen. 

—13— 



Winter Dairying. — Without the silo it is almost impossible to 
do profitable winter dairying. Under dry farming conditions 
it is desirable to breed so that the cows come fresh in the spring. 
If they freshen in the fall and are dry fed during the winter, the 
chances are that the majority of the cows will either be dry or 
nearly so by spring. Summer dairying often does not pay well, 
prices are poor, flies bad, and other conditions are unfavorable. 

On the other hand, with the silo method, cows coming fresh 
in the fall go through the winter with little if any decrease 
in milk flow before being turned out to grass. In this way the 
milk flow will be kept up well through the summer or until 
the early fall, when the cows are dried prior to calving again. 
Winter dairying, uncfer these conditions, is more favorable than 
summer dairying — no flies to bother, less other farm la])or to 
interfere and prices are better. 

Siliage for Beef Production. — -Silage is forcing itself into the 
feeding ration for beef throughout the entire Southwest. Here 
it is that pasture grass is depended upon almost entirely, yet it 
is often not available for the growth of the beef animal more 
than six months out of the year, the other six months it usually 
maintains the life of the animal, but makes very little growth 
or fat. 

Many of the cattle men of this section figure on losing a per- 
centage of their herds each year. Some of them figure that 
if they do not lose over 5 per cent from cold weather and short- 
age of grass, they are doing well. In these calculations they 
usually fail to take into consideration the shrinkage in the groAV- 
ing of young stock, which often amounts to as much as 150 pounds 
the average animal. For example, take a steer of 900 pounds, 
allow him to run on the range all winter, and by the time grass 
comes again he will weigh about 750 pounds, which loss at 5 
cents per pound would amount to $7.50. 

Place the same steer on a silage ration at the beginning of 
the winter, and instead of a loss of 150 pounds he will gain that 
much, a saving of $15, and has not consumed more than $5 
worth of silage, provided that he has been fed 40 pounds daily, 
an average feed for 120 days. This represents a clear saving of 
$10 on this one steer alone, to say nothing of the thousands of 
others that could be handled in the same way, besides saving 
the total weight of the 5 per cent in number which the cattle 
man had expected to lose through death on account of feed 
shortage and cold. 

To show further the value of silage for beef production, we 
give the following, which tells of I\Ir. B. F. Markland's expe- 
rience at Altus, Oklahoma, during the first five months of 1913 : 

January 1 Mr. Markland bought 30 head of Panhandle calves 
at $35 per head. He fed these calves a good ration of silage 

—14— 



and a small amount of cotton seed meal. Five months later he 
sold the calves on the Fort Worth market for $60 per head. 
After paying for the feed and all other expenses and deducting 
a liberal salary for himself, he states that he still had $400 
profit. 

During the winter of 1911-12 the Texas Experiment Station 
conducted a steer feeding experiment on the farm of Col. T. S. 
Bugbee of Clarendon, Texas, comparing silage with cotton-seed 
hulls, with the following results : 

Cattle used were 40 head of range bred three and four-year- 
old grade Shorthorn and Hereford steers.^ They were fairly 
uniform as to conformation, qualit}^ and condition. The aver- 
age weight when the experiment began was 904 pounds and 
the value per head was $42.50. 

The feeds used were cottolh-seed meal, cotton-seed hulls, silage 
and hay, all of average quality. The silage was composed of 
about 75 per cent of milo maize, 15 per cent of corn and 10 per 
cent of sorghum. The cost of the feeds was as follows : 

Cotton-seed meal, per ton $27.00 

Cotton-seed hulls, per ton 8.00 

Silage, per ton 2.50 

Hay, per ton 7.00 

When on full feed the rations were as follows : 

Lot 1. Cotton-seed meal 7 pounds and hulls 30 pounds. 

Lot 2. Cotton-seed meal 7 pounds and silage 50 pounds. 

it is stated that Lot No. 2 was also fed a small amount of 
hay. 

The results of the experiment, showing a profit of nearly $10 
per head in favor of the silage-fed steers, were as follows : 

Lot 1, on hulls, profit per head , $0-75 

Lot 2, on silage, profit per head 10.40 

The results showed that the silage was the cheapest feed, and 
there was practically no shrinkage difference in the two lots in 
shipping, while the dressing percentages were practically the 
same. The silage steers showed better finish and brought 20 
cents per hundred weight more than the hull-fed steers on the 
market. 

While silage provides succulence and roughness and places 
the animals under grass conditions, yet it is advisable to furnish 
some feed in addition that is rich in protein or nitrogen that 
produces muscles, bone, hair, etc. Alfalfa, cow-pea hay, peanut 
hay or field-pea hay is rich in protein and makes a good com- 
bination with silage. Cotton-seed meal in small quantities of 
from 2 to 3 pounds per day is a good addition to this silage 
ration. For a fattening ration this cotton-seed meal can be fed 
in larger amounts for short periods only. 

Ordinarily when alfalfa hay is worth from $12 to $15 per 

—15— 



ton for beef production, silage is worth from $5 to $6.25 per 
ton. Feeding experiments on beef production at the Iowa Ex- 
periment Station during 1911-12 on two-year-old steers showed 
silage at $3.20 per ton to be equal to clover hay at $7.66 per ton. 

Silage for Sheep. — Silage is especially valuable to stimulate 
the milk flow of ewes with lamb, but it should not form more 
than one-half the ration. Good silage, that is not mouldy or 
too acid, is very desirable feed for winter feeding of both ewes 
and lambs. Silage-fed ewes giving too much milk at lambing 
time should be allowed a limited ration of silage shortly before 
the time of birth. It must be remembered that silage is a milk 
producer, and that there is some danger of feeding too much 
at lambing time. Some dry roughness should always be com- 
bined with silage for sheep feeding, preferably alfalfa, cow-pea 
hay or field-pea hay. A good grain ration to combine with the 
silage may be composed of about two parts kaffir or milo, with 
one part of oil meal or cotton-seed meal. 

Silage is an excellent feed for fattening lambs and older 
sheep as well as for ewes. It increases the gains and cheapens 
the ration. Lambs should be brought to a full silage ration 
very carefully and slowly to prevent scouring. Two pounds 
per day will be sufficient silage for lambs in addition to other 
dry roughage and grain. Year-old fattening sheep will require 
more feed, both of silage and roughage, three pounds of silage 
being about right for a daily ration. 

Silage for Horses. — Mouldy silage is not good for horses. 
Horses do well on a small amount of silage fed with other feeds. 
Young growing horses, as well as older ones that are not work- 
ing, will make good use of from 5 to 15 pounds of silage daily. 
For work horses, silage is too washy to be fed in quantity over 
4 to 5 pounds daily. 

Silage for Hogs. — The hog is not a roughage-eating animal, 
although grass is a necessary addition to its ration. Silage will 
take the place of grass to a large extent, although it is bulky 
and low in feeding value for the hog 's limited digestive capacity. 
]\Iany hog breeders claim that silage makes an excellent and 
succulent feed for brood sows, causing them to produce strong, 
healthy pigs. A small amount of silage is good for the hog and 
it makes a saving in the cost of feeds. 

Silage for Poultry. — Silage fed in small quantities is an excel- 
lent pounltry feed. It takes the place of grass in the winter 
feeding ration. Silage within itself is not much of an egg pro- 
ducer, but it furnishes succellence, which is very necessary, help- 
ing to keep up the general condtion of the flock, thereby pro- 
ducing desirable results. 

—16— 



Silage Crops 



Kaffir corn, milo maize, and the sweet sorghums must be con- 
sidered as the best silage crops for the entire Southwest. These 
crops are drouth resistant and more depndable than corn. Corn 
is considered the best crop for silage in what are known as the 
"Corn States". It may also be best in the higher altitudes, like 
certain sections of New JMexico, and in some of the irrigation 
districts. 

Kaffli' Silage. — There is no question but that kaffir is the best 
general crop for silage throughout the entire Southwest. It will 
out-yield corn in both seed and fodder, it is dependable and 
produces feed that is equal if not superior to corn grown in 
the Southwest. Feeding experiments show silage made from 
this crop to be equal to corn silage. In a recent report from 
the Kansas Experiment Station, kaffir silage and cotton-seed 
meal produced the highest profit in a calf -feeding experiment, 
the second best results coming from sweet sorghum and cotton- 
sed meal. The calves used in the experiment were high-grade 
Herefords. The Kansas station reports that it cost $2.66 per 
ton to produce the kaffir and cane silage and that the corn silage 
cost $3 per ton. The cost of the added weight on these calves, 
per 100-pound gain of the animals under test, was : 

Kaffir silage and cotton-seed meal $3.27 

Sorgham silage and cotton-seed meal 3.46 

Corn silage and cotton-seed meal 3.60 

Corn stover, shelled corn and alfalfa hay 3.66 

Corn silage and alfalfa hay , _ 3.83 

Kaffir is ready to be siloed at the time the seed is in the dough 
stage and before it is thoroughly ripe. Stunted kaffir without 
seed makes good silage and should be cut before it dries up. 
It will pay to cut and silo this crop, even if it does not make 
more than one ton per acre. In tliis way the silo will save what 
otherwise is usually lost. 

Sweet Sorghum Silage. — Until recently the sweet sorghums 
have usually been considered a poor substitute for corn or kaffir 
in the silo. The conditions under which this crop grows in sec- 
tions of limited rainfall overcome the difficulties found in other 
sections. Many claim that sweet sorghum silage contains too 
much acid. This is often true unless the crop is made into silage 
at the proper stage, this stage being at the time the seed is in 
the dough, beginning to harden. Sour or acid silage comes from 
putting up the crop too green. Sorghum made into silage bj^ 
itself does not make as good quality as is the case in mixing it 

— :7— 



with one-half kaffir or milo maize as the silo is being filled. 
Sorghum for silage should be grown in rows and cultivated the 
same as kaffir. 

Milo Maize for Silage. — IMilo maize does not produce as good 
quality of silage as kaffir or sweet sorghum, although it is a 
crop worth filling a silo in case the supply of kaffir or sweet 
sorghum is not sufficient. 

Corn for Silage. — Indian corn, where used for silage, should 
be placed in the silo, ear and all, at the time the corn is getting 
into the hard dough stage. 

Other Silage Crops.^Co\Y peas grown with kaffir and other 
crops improves the feeding qualities of the silage very much. 
The cow peas furnish the protein or nitrogen part of the -feed, 
which is very necessary and costs so much when bought in the 
form of cotton-seed meal and oil meal. Field peas are equal to 
cow peas as a silage crop, especially when mixed with corn or 
other crops. 

Usually it does not pay to make silage of alfalfa. The im- 
provement shown in making silage of it is not sufficiently great 
over the dry hay to justify the expense of the process. 



Making the Silage 



The crop for silage should be cut while green, before the leaves 
dry, and at the time the seed is in the dough stage. The entire 
plant cannot be placed in the silo in its whole condition, and 
it must be cut into short lengths of one-half to one inch. 

Cutting the Crop in the Field. — The cutting can be done with 
corn knives by hand, or with a corn harvester, the latter being 
preferable. The crop as it is being cut should be delivered 
directly to the silage cutter, not being allowed to partially dry, 
but should be made into silage at once. 

Cutting the Silage. — The silage cutter must be placed near 
enough to the silo so the feed can run directly into it from the 
machine. The green fodder as it comes from the field is run 
through the cutter, lengthwise, and is chopped into lengths of 
one-half to one inch. 

Is Anything Added to this Silage? — The question is often 
asked : "Is salt added to the silage ? ' ' no. There is no advan- 
tage in adding salt. Nothing else is added unless it be water. 

Water Added. — Water is added to the silage as it is being 
placed in the silo only under condition that the crop being 
placed in the silo is too ripe to dry. Enough water is added to 
make up for the juice that should naturally be contained in 
the plant. This water should be thoroughly mixed wdth the 

—18— 



silage. If a blower elevator is used the water should run into 
the blower through a pipe or hose from a tank or l^arrel, keep- 
ing a steady stream running all the time. 

The question is asked : ' ' How much water shall I add ? ' ' 
There is more danger of not adding enough water than too much. 
Add about as much water as the silage will hold without accu- 
mulating. Silage is not pickled in its own juice like sauer kraut, 
but all the juice is held within the stalks and leaves. Remember 
that no water is added unless the silage crop is too dry or overly 
ripe. 

Silage from Dry Fodder. — It often happens that all of the 
silage is removed from the silo at a time when a large amount 
of dry fodder is still availal^le. It may be desirable to make 
silage out of this fodder before grass comes on. A fair grade 
of silage can be made from this fodder by running it through 
the silage cutter into the silo. In this case a large quantity of 
water must be added to make up for the dried-up juices natur- 
ally in the green plant. This water should be thoroughly mixed 
with the cut-up feed and should be running into it constantly 
as the silo is being filled. At the time the silo is finally filled, 
more water should be added at the top. In a silo holding 100 
tons or more the writer has known of instances where a three- 
fourths inch stream was allowed to run into the top for at least 
24 hours, with good results. 

Tramping Necessary. — During the time the silo is being filled 
the silage should be kept well distributed and thoroughly 
tramped, especially around next to the wall. The tighter the 
silage is packed the better it will keep. This is particularly 
true of that feed which is near the top of the silo. By thoroughly 
tramping the top less silage will spoil than when it is left loose. 

Remember that the thorough distribution of the silage and 
packing it as the silo is being filled has much to do with its 
keeping qualities. If the cut material is allowed to drop all 
in one place, and has no further attention, the constant falling 
of the feed will tend to make that portion more solid, while the 
outside will be loose, and the coarse materials will roll to the 
outside while the finer portions will remain in the center, ren- 
dering the silage less uniform than with a general distribution 
and thorough packing. 

Surface Spoilage. — Feeding may begin immediately after fill- 
ing the silo, but usually some time passes before the feeding 
starts, and in this case the exposed surface will mould and spoil 
to a depth of from a few inches to a foot or more, depending on 
the amount of tramping at the top. The top is often covered 
with chaff, chopped bear grass or something else, to prevent the 
spoilage below. Oats are sometimes sowed thickly on the top 
and are watered occasionally, causing them to sprout and form 

—19— 



a sod which protects the silage. As the silage settles, it tends to 
draw away from the walls, but by tramping around the edges 
every day for a week or ten days, the spoilage can be decreased 
very much. Water should be added to the surface for a few 
days, especially if it becomes dry. On account of the danger 
of some surface spoilage, it is advisable to remove the seed from 
the last two or three loads placed in the silo, as the grain which 
might otherwise be lost can thus be saved. 

Nnmher of Men Needed to Fill Silo. — The number of men and 
teams needed for hauling the silage crop to the cutter will de- 
pend upon the distance the haul is to be made, the size of the 
cutter, the engine, and the size of the loads. Just enough teams 
should be used to keep the cutter going. At least one man is 
required in the silo, another to run the cutter and a third to 
operate the engine. 

Co-operation Advisable. — Neighbors owning silos will find it 
advisable and profitable to "exchange" work in silo filling, and 
also in the buying of silo-filling machinery, as in this way the 
burden of labor and expense is greatly lightened for all parties. 

75 it Necessary to Fill Silo all at Once? — It is not necessary 
to fill silo all at once, or continuously, unless the feed crop is 
drying too rapidly. Suppose the silo is to be filled from two 
or three different fields, these maturing at various times. In 
this case the field first maturing is siloed and thoroughly tramped 
into place. The top of the first filling may spoil to a slight 
depth before the second becomes matured, in which event it is 
only necessary to remove the spoilage and continue the filling 
as the succesive crops mature. 

Is it necessary to Remove all Silage from Silo each Year? — 
The foregoing question is easily ansH'ered — no. Any part of 
the silage not needed this year can be held over until next year, 
or longer, if necessary. At any time when it is desirable to fill 
the empty part, all that is required is to remove the spoiled 
surface and begin placing the new silage on top, just as though 
it contained nothing or was entirely empty. Silage will keep 
for an almost indefinite time, instances being on record of per- 
fect condition at the end of seven years. 

Frozen Silage. — No bad results come from feeding silage that 
has been frozen, provided it is fed as soon as it is thawed, but 
silage spoils very soon after thawing. It should not be fed in 
the frozen state. When thawed it is eaten with the same relish 
as though it had not been frozen. 

Cost of Silage. — Col. T. S. Bugbee of Clarendon, Texas, states 
that he can produce the silage crop and put it in the silo for 
$2 per ton. Col. 0. Keiser of Canyon, Texas, states that the cost 
of silage, counting interest on the land, cost of raising and 
gathering the silage crop, silo depreciation, also on the filling 

—20— 



and farm machinery, is about $1.30 per ton, according to his 
records during the past two years. The writer is certain that 
the cost may be safely placed at $2 per ton. 

Changes that Take Place in the Silo. — The silage being placed 
in the silo in its green, wet condition, soon heats. No alarm 
need be felt on account of this, as it is perfectly natural. This 
heating continues for several days, after which the silage gradu- 
ally cools off. Slight fermentation takes place. This process 
requires air. The silage carries only a limited amount of air 
into the silo, and as soon as this is exhausted the fermenting 
process stops. 

The odor and acid taste of the silage is due to a chemical 
change of the plant sugar to, organic acids. This process that 
goes on in the silage softens the contents of the silo and par- 
tially pre-digests it, while the heating process partially cooks 
it, and the two combined really render the feed more digestible 
and palatable than it was in the natural state. 

Machinery. — Machinery required for filling the silo consists 
of a silage cutter, with an elevator or blower, but the elevator 
or blower attachment is not necessary in filling the underground 
silo. An engine or horse power is also required to furnish power. 

Silage Cutter. — The size of the cutter required depends on the 
rapidity with which it is desired to fill the silo, and also on the 
available power. For small farms and silos, where an engine is 
not to be had, a two or three-horse sweep or tread power may 
be used with a cutter having a capacity of from two to four 
tons per hour, depending on whether the silage is elevated or 
dropped into a pit. 

It is usually desirable for a farmer to own his own cutter. 
Often it is a good plan for several neighbors who own silos to 
co-operate in buying both the cutter and the power or engine, 
a gasoline engine being excellent for this purpose. A cutter 
having a capacity of from three to four tons per hour can be 
secured with elevator for about $100, and without the elevator 
this same cutter will cost about $40. An engine of 3 horse- 
power will run the cutter without the elevator, while one of 5 
to 7 horse-power will be required where the elevator is used. A 
13-inch cutter without elevator and with a capacity of 4 to 6 
tons per hour and requiring an engine of 2 to 4 horse-power to 
run it will cost about $65. With carrier or elevator 30 feet 
long this cutter will cost about $130, and will require from 6 
to 8 horse-power engine. 

Oftentimes the owner of a threshing outfit can be induced 
to buy a large size cutter, and an outfit of this kind can be 
hired by the day. Sometimes two or three farmers will go to- 
gether and buy a cutter, and then hire someone with a thresher 
engine to furnish the power. About twice as much power is 

—21— 



required for a cutter with a blower attachment as where no 
blower is used, and the common carrier requires very much less 
power than the blower. Thus it will be seen that without either 
the blower or the elevator the owner of an underground silo can 
get along with less expensive cutter and power machinery. 

The machinery, like the silo itself, should be made of first- 
class material, not being purchased too much with the idea of 
cheapness. It will pay to secure good, standard machinery. 

Silo Construction 

Tivo Types. — In this part of this book two general types 
of silos are recognized : Those above ground and those under 
ground. The underground type will be handled largely from 
the standpoint of low cost of construction and its adaptability 
to the needs of the farmer or stockman of limited means. 

Materials used in both types of silos, as well as the class of 
their construction, should be first class in every respect, as silo 
losses depend largely upon the construction. Silo walls and 
bottoms must be air-tight. 

Shape of Silo. — The shape of the silo should be that of a 
cylinder— round without corners, as silage cannot be packed suf- 
ficiently tight in corners to keep the air out, and thus prevent 
spoilage. The walls must be rigid with little or no tendency to 
springiness, and they should also be smooth on the inside so as 
to offer no obstruction to the settling of the silage. 

The depth should be as great as practicable in proportion to 
the diameter, so as to keep the exposed feeding surface small, 
and at the same time to secure pressure. 

DeptJi and Diameter. — The advisable depth of a silo is twice 
its diameter. The diameter is controlled by the size of the herd 
to be fed, and the depth by the length of the feeding period. 
In order to feed silage faster than there is danger of it spoiling, 
about 2 inches should be removed from the entire surface each 
day. The silage should be removed evenly from the surface, 
and not gouged out first here and then there. By removing 
2 inches of silage daily, 5 feet will have been removed at the 
end of 30 days, and a silo that is 30 feet deep will furnish feed 
at this rate for 180 days, or 6 months. 

Capacity of Silo. — The size of the silo should be made in pro- 
portion to the size of the herd to be fed. Since the capacity 
of round silos is not so readily computed as in the case of rec- 
tangular silos, the following table shows at a glance the approxi- 
mate number of tons of silage that a round silo, of a diameter 
from 10 to 26 feet, and from 20 to 32 feet deep, will hold, of 
well-matured., silage, in tons : 

—22— 



Depth 

of Silo, 

Feet. 



Inside Diameter of Silo, Feet. 



10 



20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
29 
30 
31 
32 



26 
28 
30 
32 
34 
36 
38 
40 
42 
45 
47 
49 
51 



12 



38 
40 
43 
46 
49 
52 
55 
58 
61 
64 
68 
70 
73 



14 



51 

55 
59 
62 
66 
70 
74 
78 
83 
88 
93 
96 
101 



15 



59 

63 

67 

72 

76 

81 

S5 

90 

95 

100 

-1,05 

110 

115 



16 

~67" 

72 

77 

82 

87 

90 

97 

103 

108 

114 

119 

125 

131 



18 


20 
"101' 


22 
l27" 


24 
T5T" 


26 


85 


177 


91 


112 


135 


161 


189 


97 


120 


145 


172 


202 


103 


128 


154 


184 


216 


110 


135 


164 


195 


229 


116 


143 


173 


206 


242 


123 


152 


184 


219 


257 


130 


160 


194 


231 


271 


137 


169 


204 


243 


285 


144 


178 


215 


265 


300 


151 


187 


226 


269 


315 


158 


195 


236 


282 


330 


166 


205 


248 


295 


346 



As there will be from 5 to 6 feet of settling, the silos will not 
have the capacities shown in the foregoing unless they are re- 
filled. 

Acreage Required to Fill Silos, Includ- 
ing Feeding Capacity 

The following table does not claim to be accurate as to frac- 
tional parts of acres required for filling, neither minutely exact 
as to number of cattle to be fed, but is as safe as a table of the 
kind can be made, taking into consideration certain and ever- 
present variations in quality and density of silage, etc. 









Cows it will keep 






Acres to fill, 


6mo., 40 lbs. 


Dimensions. 


Capacity, tons. 


5 tons per acre. 


of feed per 
day per head. 


10x20 • 


28 


6 


8 


12x20 


40 


8 


11 


12x24 


49 


10 


13 


12x28 


60 


12 


15 


14x22 


55 


11 


12 


14x24 


61 


12 


15, 


14x28 


67 


15 


23 


14x30 


87 


17 


25 


16x24 


67 


15 


23 


16x26 


87 


17 


25 


16x30 


115 


23 


32 


18x30 


124 


24 


35 


18x36 


135 


27 


41 



—23— 



Pounds Daily. 


25 


to 


40 


25 


to 


40 


15 


to 


30 


3 


to 


5 


3 


to 


5 


3 


to 


4 



It is safe to say that we can depend upon securing at least 
5 tons of green kaffir, sorghum or milo from an acre any aver- 
age season, and in many years the yield will be greater. 

Amount of Silage required. — The following table shows ap- 
proximately the feeding rations of silage for different classes of 
live stock: 



Kind of Stock. 



Dairy Cows 

Stock Cattle (wintering ration) 

Fattening Cattle (18 months to 2 years) 

Sheep (ewes) 

Fattening Lambs 

Fattening Sheep - 

Hiorses | 5 to 15 

Foundation. — Whatever material is used in silo construction, 
wood, brick, stone, concrete or metal, it should stand on a good, 
solid foundation. A concrete foundation is as good as can be 
made. Excavation should be made deep enough to give the 
footing a solid bottom. In constructing a concrete foundation 
it is a good plaji to set bolts in the cement before it sets, having 
the threaded ends stick above the surface far enough to pass 
through the sill or bed plate of the silo. This furnishes a means 
of anchoring the silo to the foundation. 

The inside of the foundation should be made flush with the 
inside of the silo, especially if the bottom of the silo is below the 
top of the foundation. The thickness of the foundation wall 
should be from 15 to 20 inches at the base, but may be drawn in 
at the top to from 8 to 12inches, the mixture being one part 
of cement to three parts of sand and three to five parts of gravel, 
this furnishing a good construction. 

Floor. — The underground silo does not require a floor. In 
order to prevent rats from working under the silage in the silo 
constructed above the ground, it is usually a good plan to make 
a concrete floor. This floor should have a drain .which is pro- 
tected against rats and vermin. The accumulated juices from 
silage, gathering in the bottom, should not be allowed to cover 
any part of the silage, as it will cause it to spoil. 

Roof. — As far as the keeping qualities of the silage is con- 
cerned, a roof on the silo is not necessary. The roof sometimes 
strengthens the silo construction, besides adding to its appear- 
ance. In humid sections heavy rains should be kept out, and 
in such localities the roof is needed. In sections of limited rain- 
fall no damage comes from rain. The underground silo top 
should be protected from dirt or sand. 

—24— 



Cost of the Silo. — The cost of the silo depends upon size, ma- 
terial used, workmanshiiD and type. Silos constructed above the 
ground cost more than those under the ground. Wooden silos, 
which are the oldest and most generally in use, cost from $2 to 
$3 per ton capacity, depending on size, the smaller costing more 
in proportion than the larger ones. Concrete silos usually cost 
slightly more than those constructed of wood. The metal silo 
has perhaps the highest cost of any on the market at present. 
The costs mentioned in this connection represent first costs and 
not those of maintenance, the latter being very small. The cost 
of the underground silo is about $1 to $1.50 per ton capacity, 
depending on size, it being understood of course that the larger 
sizes are built at a decreased cost as compared to the smaller 
ones. ' 

Wooden Silos 

Location of Silo. — Location is an important matter, as the 
silo should be placed as close as possible to feeding pens or barns, 
the feeding of silage being an every day matter during the whole 
winter. If the silage is to be fed in the barn, it is advisable to 
construct the silo in connection, as this will be found to greatly 
facilitate the handling of the feed. 

Stave Construction. — The wooden stave silo is simple of con- 
struction, and is therefore not an expensive type. It is this 
type of silo that has been favorably mentioned by agricultural 
writers for many years. Commercial stave silos are on the 
market in large numbers, each having its own peculiar talking 
points or merits. 

It is known that a well-onstructed wooden silo will preserve 
silage as good, if not better, than any silo now on the market. 
It is a type of silo that can be constructed quickly and cheaply, 
in the construction of this type of silo, especially in the entire 
Southwest, it pays to use the best materials obtainable. It does 
not pay to use cheap lumber, redwood, cypress, and fir being 
considered the best materials for wooden silos, as the contrac- 
tion and expansion of these woods is very limited under either 
dry or wet conditions. 

The main objection urged against the wooden stave silo 
throughout the Southwest is that the staves shrink during dry 
weather, or at the time when the silo is empty, and expand 
again at the time the silo is filled. There is no question of the 
application of this objection to the poorly constructed silo, or 
one made from an undesirable grade of lumber, and even the 
well-constructed silo made of suitable woods in not entirely free 
from this criticism. Extreme dry and hot weather causes the 
best of wood to contract slightly, and at the time of such con- 

—25— 



traction the slack should be taken up by tightening the hoops 
or metal bands always found at regular intervals or spaces apart, 
to hold the stave construction together. When the silo is re 
filled, the hoops or bands should be loosened as much as they 
were tightened to meet the expanded condition, following the 
contraction. 

The wooden stave silo that is allowed to dry apart too much 
without having the slack taken up, is likely to be blown down 
or to become loosened from the foundation during high winds. 
All staves should be tongued and grooved, as in the absence of 
this precautionary method or process the continued shrinking 
and swelling will create cracks sufficiently large to admit air. 
With a variable lumber of poor grade and grain skrinkage can- 
not be entirely taken up by the tightening of the hoops. 

Desirability of the stave silo depends upon the material, con- 
struction and care with which the hoops are tightened and 
loosened to meet the variant moisture conditions, and likewise 
on how well it is painted inside and outside, as coal tar on the 
inside and paint on the outside will greatly increase the life 
of the construction. 

The wooden stave silo in addition to being placed on a good 
foundation should be well braced with guy wires and securely 
anchored. 

"Common Sense" Wooden Silo. — This type of silo is con- 
structed of 2x4's laid fiat-wise on each other, producing a 
structure of octagonal form, or having eight sides, with as many 
angles or corners. This silo most nearly approaches the round 
construction, and for this reason is far better than the square 
one, as the latter presents four sharp corners. These 2x4's 
are laid around rather than up and down, thus making a strong 
construction. 

This silo is painted on the inside with roof coating, and then 
lined with roofing paper, and should also be painted on tlie out- 
side the same as other farm buildings. It is a good plan while 
laying the 2 x 4's upon each other to put some kind of a coating 
like coal tar between the layers or courses. These silos are 
sometimes furred, weather boarder, and painted, as a means of 
assuring prolonged life. 

Some criticism comes from owners of these silos, setting forth 
the high cost of material required for the making of the i-inch 
wall, and also that the lining or roofing paper sometimes cracks, 
and that it is a hard matter to pack the silage tight enough in 
the corners to keep out the air. There is contraction and ex- 
pansion in this type of silo to limited extent. This silo is a 
good one when properly made of first-class materials. 

—26— 



Concrete Silos 

The concrete silo has been given a thorough trial throughout 
nearly all of the dairy and stock feeding districts of the United 
States, and is now past the experimental stage, with results 
showing that it not only preserves the silage, but is durable, 
cheap in construction and well adapted to Southwestern condi- 
tions- Concrete silos are more cheaply and readily constructed 
in sections having an abundant supply of sand and gravel, as 
these materials enter largely into the construction. 

For Southwestern conditions the concrete silo has an impor- 
tant place, as it can easily be made air-tight, and does not shrink 
or expand to any appreciable extent by dryness or moisture. A 
concrete wall is a poor conductor of heat and cold, and therefore 
the silage is kept at almost uniform temperature. It has suf- 
ficient weight and strength to Mdthstand severe windstorms, and 
its cost does not exceed that of the average over-ground type 
of silo. 

Concrete silo construction requires skilled labor and cannot 
properly be put up by the average farmer or stockman ; however, 
one expert can erect the silo with the assistance of the farmer 
or stockman. . 

With concrete construction like that of wood and metal, it 
pays to use only the best of material and workmanship, special 
care being taken to avoid the use of dirty sand or gravel and 
an inferior grade of cement. 

Unfavorable Criticism of Concrete Silos. — Statements are in 
constant circulation by representatives of different types of 
silos to the effect that silage does not keep well in concrete con- 
struction. Statements of this kind are erroneous, even though 
it is true that a part of the silage does spoil in some concrete 
silos. It is equallj^ true that the same thing occurs with wooden 
and metal silos. 

The truth of the matter is that properly put up silage keeps 
as well in properly constructed concrete silos as in most other 
types. 

Many concrete silos have been faulty on account of the use 
of poor materials, improper reinforcing of the walls, porous 
walls that are not absolutely air-tight and poor foundations. 
Many wooden and metal silos have produced bad results because 
of the use of poor workmanship and poor materials, and yet 
this does not prove that all wooden and metal silos are failures. 

Solid Wall Silos. — The solid wall concrete silo is now in more 
general use than any other concrete type. This silo is con- 
structed as a one-piece wall. A two-piece mould, one for the 
outside and one for the inside, is required, and between this 

—27— 



the wall is cast. The mould may be made of wood or sheet iron 
to a height of from 3 to 8 feet, thus requiring that the wall be 
made in sections. The mould should be adjustable, so that it 
may be easily removed from the freshly cast wall to a position 
for the next section above, and so on to completion. 

The thickness of the solid wall is usually from 6 to 8 inches 
When this type of silo was first used it was customary to con- 
struct the walls very thick, and no metal reinforcements were 
used. Later, it was found that much stronger walls could be 
made by making them thinner and using metal reinforcements 
in them, this reinforcement being in the form of woven hog wire, 
bands of iron or strands of wire placed in the center of the 
concrete wall as hoops during the time it is being cast into the 
mould. 

To make the solid wall concrete silo or any form of concrete 
silo perfectly air-tight and water-proof, the inside of the wall 
should be washed or painted with pure cement and water as 
soon as the mould is removed. A good wall is made of one part 
cement, two parts of clean, sharp sand, and 4 parts clean gravel 
or broken stone. 

The hollow wall concrete silo is more expensive than the solid 
wall, and is no better for Southwestern conditions. It is espe- 
cially adapted to cold sections where there is danger of the silage 
freezing. 

Concrete Block Silo. — There is no question but that the con- 
crete block silo is better adapted to conditions prevailing with 
the average farmer than any other concrete type. With a little 
knowledge of concrete mixing, he can construct the blocks at 
home. These blocks can be made in commercial moulds, or 
home-made moulds. The commercial mould usually makes a hol- 
low block having circular form, while the home-made mould 
makes a solid block not circular in form. The hollow block 
shows a saving in material and adds a dead-air space to the wall. 
The dead-air space has no particular value for Southwestern 
conditions, but is not at all objectionable. The circular form of 
block lays in the wall to an advantage without causing open 
joints on the outside. These open joints are overcome in the 
home-made straight-faced block by making the block slightly 
longer on its outside face than on its inside face. The regu- 
lar dimensions for solid blocks are about 8 x 8 x 16 inches, and 
for hollow blocks 8 x 10 x 16 inches. 

The required reinforcement which takes the place of the hoop 
on the stave silo is placed between every second course of blocks. 
This reinforcement is in the form of an iron rod, heavy wire 
like No. 6, or several strands of smaller wire twisted together 
and made into the form of a hoop, with the ends tied together. 
The reinforcement is laid into a groove cast in the block for 

—28— 



that purpose- After the reinforcement is placed, the groove is 
filled with rich cement mortar made of about one part cement 
and two parts sand. Enough of this mortar is then spread over 
the top of the course of blocks for laying the next course of 
blocks. 

The block silo is made air-tight by plastering the inside di- 
rectly on the blocks with a rich cement mortar. This is done 
before the mortar between the blocks sets, thus causig the plas- 
ter to set to it. The completed plastered wall is finally washed 
on the inside with pure cement and water. 

Col. E. S. Bugbee of Clarendon, Texas, has five block silos 
of 150 tons capacity each, which he constructed at home with 
farm labor, the block mould bseing home-made 8 x 8 x 16 inches, 
with groove for reinforcement. These blocks were made 15 
inches long on the inside and 16 inches long on the outside face, 
which made them lay to a circle without causing open joints on 
the outside. The blocks were laid and the inside plastered with 
no labor excepting that available on the farm. 

Colonel Bugbee states that the entire cost of these silos, hold- 
ing 150 tons each, was $250 per silo. It is the stated intention 
of this gentleman to build a number of addition silos of the 
same type this year. 

Cement Plastered Silos. — The cement-plastered silo is not a 
common construction throughout the Southwest, although it is 
being found very successful and practical, and is made by using 
metal lath as reinforcement and also as a form on which to plas- 
ter. This lath is held in place in the circular form for a silo 
by use of temporary studding placed on the outside. With the 
studding in place, about three coatings of cement are applied 
to the inside. These three coats as soon as set are strong enough 
so the studding can be removed, after which from two to three 
coatings of cement are applied to the outside. This completes 
the wall except the washing with pure cement and water. This 
wall is from 2i/^ to 3 inches thick, resembling a silo cast in a 
mould- 

Cement Stave Silos. — The cement stave silo is of recent origin, 
only a very few being in use. They promise, however, to be 
all right, and we belive that they will fulfill the requirements 
placed upon them. The cement staves 2 x 10 x 30 inches are 
made like cement blocks before being placed in the silo, the 
staves being properly cured are tongued and grooved, set on 
a good foundation, and are held in place by means of iron hoops 
like the wooden stave silo. After being erected the cement stave 
silo im made air-tight by use of an inside covering of water- 
proofing. 

—29— 



Metal Silos 

Metal silos are now coming into use throughout many of the 
Southern states. This is a new type of silo, the use of which 
has not been fully demonstrated in all sections, but the results, 
so far as observed thus far, are proving very satisfactory, and 
we know of no reason why this type should not prove a success 
from every standopint. 

The common objection to the metal silo has been that the silage 
acids will injure the metal, but the manufacturer is overcoming 
this by protecting the metal with some sort of paint. It may 
be said in support of the metal silo that it does not* dry apart, 
nor is it so subject to blowing down as those silos made of lighter 
materials, or those materials used in the form of strips or staves. 
The present cost of the metal silo is somewhat higher than many 
farmers care to pay. 



Underground Silos 



The underground silo is exceptionally well adapted to those 
districts having a limited rainfall, and in such localities may 
with impunity take the place of the over-ground construction. 
It is distinctly a Western type, and the Western farmer and 
stockman, especially those of limited means, find it possessed of 
many interesting and worthy features. 

No longer an experiment, the underground silo has a value 
that is fully demonstrated. In New Mexico, Texas, and Colo- 
rado, as well as Nebraska, a number of these silos have been in 
constant use for years, giving perfect satisfaction. The under- 
ground type, if properly constructed, will keep silage as well 
as the average silo of the over-ground variety and will be found 
to justify all reasonable claims made for it. 

The underground silo is not only free from the possibility of 
blowing down or drying apart, but has no hoops that need 
tightening or expanding, and the expense of maintenance is com- 
paratively nothing. Its type of construction appeals strongly 
to the man who has but little capital and who desires a silo. It 
can be built by the farmer himself when he is not otherwise 
engaged on the farm. The cost of construction is conservatively 
placed at from $1 to $1.50 per ton capacity, which includes the 
price of materials and labor- 
Not only is the cost of construction of this silo cheap and 
favorable to the farmer who desires to make a dollar go as far 
as possible, but owing to the fact that neither a blower nor an 
elevator is required in connection with the silage cutter, expen- 
sive machinery is unnecessary. The silage cutter without eon- 

—30— . 



veyor costs about one-half as much as with the combination. The 
power required is about one-half as much with tlie cutter alone 
as compared to cutter and conveyor combined. 

Construction. — As stated in the outset, the underground silo 
is especially well suited to sections where this is limited rain- 
fall, but it is eciually true that it should not be constructed in 
wet ground, or where the water is near the surface. 

The walls should be even and perpendicular, the depth about 
twice the diameter, and the size of the hole, which is round, 
proportioned to the number of animals to be fed. The assump- 
tion that an underground silo must of necessity cover a wide 
area at the expense of its depth, thus causing a great loss through 
spoilage on account of its extensively exposed surface, is illy 
based and has no legitimate place in the consideration of this 
important construction. There is no more reason for the as- 
sumption that the underground silo should have a width out of 
harmony with its depth, than that the over-ground construction 
should be equally disproportionate mtli the accepted rules of 
is especially weel suited to sections where there is limited rain- 
silo building. There is no reason wdiy the depth should not in 
all cases conform to the rules of dimensions applying to the over- 
ground silo, namely : Depth equal to twice the diameter. 

Cement Covering. — The earth wall of the successful under- 
ground silo must necessarily be covered with cement to prevent 
the silage juices from being absorbed. If the earth wall stands 
well, without danger of caving, a 1/2 to %-inch covering of good, 
rich cement plaster on the dirt will be found sufficient. It is 
often found advisable to plaster on close-mesh rabbit wire that 
has been securely anchored to the dirt wall, this plaster being 
put on in from two to three coats, the first being a roung or 
scratch coat. The first two coats will be well constructed if 
made of about one part cement to four parts of clean sharp, 
sand, while the third coat should be made of one part cement 
and three parts of sand. In applying these coats of cement 
the second should be put on before the first gets well set, and 
the third should be put on before the second gets set. 

In order to save the necessity for scaffolding in the applica- 
tion of this plaster, it should be put on at the time of digging 
the hole, beginning at the top and finishing downward in sec- 
tions as the excavation progresses. 

If there is danger that the earth wall will cave, or not stand 
well, the applied cement wall should be made from 2 to 3 inches 
thick, a wooden or metal mould or form being required to hold 
the cement in place until after it ' ' sets. ' ' This mould or form 
need not be over 3 feet in height, which arrangement requires 
that construction of the cement wall begin at the bottom of the 
silo, and the structure will be in sections of 3 feet each, rather 

—31— 



than all at one time. Thus three feet at each placing of the 
mould or form, the wall is continued upward from the bottom 
until the top is reached. The form is moved up as rapidly as 
the section which it last held sets- A good mixture of this wall 
will be made of about 1 part cement, 21/0 parts sand and 21/2 
parts of gravel or broken stone. This mixture should be made 
wet enough to pour, and must be tamped or stirred enough after 
being placed in the mould to insure driving out all air and 
closing open spaces. 

The top of the underground silo should be constructed suf- 
ficiently high above the surface to keep out storm or flood 
waters. This cement wall or plastering should not be considered 
as finished until after it has been plainted or washed with pure 
cement and water, which can be easily applied with a white- 
wash brush or broom. This wash fills up all pores and small 
openings, thus making the wall both air-tight and water-proof. 
It is not necessary to construct a floor in this type of silo. 

Bemoval of Silage. — Perhaps the main objection against this 
type of silo has always been that it is too laborious to elevate 
the silage from it, but this is not so serious as it has often been 
represented, and is largely offset or over balanced by the cheap- 
ened cost of construction and the lessened expense of machinery, 
together with the ease of filling. The silage is easily elevated 
by use of a horse in connection with a block and tackle or wind- 
lass. It is also raised by hand with a swinging derrick in con- 
nection with a Avindlass and pulley. This silage is often ele- 
vated to an overhead track from which it is suspended and car- 
ried to the stable or yards in an invertible manure carrier box 
or trip-bottom box. 



-32— 



The Test of the Relative Values of Cot- 
ton Seed Meal and Silage, and 
Cotton Seed Hulls for 
Fattening Cattle. 



By John C. Burns . 
Assisted by T. P. Metcalfe 



The experiment reported, in this bulletin was conducted dur- 
ing the past winter and spring in co-operation with Colonel T. S. 
Bugbee of Clarendon, Texas, who furnished the cattle, the feeds, 
the scales, and, in fact, everything connected with the work 
except the man who did the feeding and collected the data. 

Th purpose of the experiment was to ascertain whether cotton- 
seed meal and silage may be used more profitably for fattening 
cattle than cotton-seed meal and cotton-seed hulls, the two feeds 
which compose the ration that is used much more than any other 
for fattening cattle throughout the South- The high price of 
cotton-seed hulls during recent years emphasizes the importance 
of finding, if possible, a more economical feed to take its place, 
either partially or altogether. Because of the low nutritive 
value of this feed and the relatively large amount necessary to 
use, it is this portion of the ration rather than the meal that 
makes the feeding of meal and hulls so expensive at current 
prices. 

The feeding of silage to dairy cattle has been practiced exten- 
sively and with a high degree of success for many years, but 
only recently has it been looked upon with much favor for beef 
production. The experiment herein reported is the first one that 
has been conducted by this Station for the purpose of testing 
the value of silage in a ration for beef cattle. The results should 
be of considerable practical value from the fact that the experi- 
ment was conducted entirely under actual farm conditions. Since 
these are the results of only one experiment, they should not be 
taken as absolutely conclusive and for this reason the Station 
will conduct other experiments along the same line during the 
coming fall, winter, and spring. 

Cattle Used 

The cattle used in the experiment were 40 head of rang bred 
three and four-year-old, grade Shorthorn and Hereford steers, 
all of which were dehorned. Though not highly graded they 

—33— 



showed a preponderance of improved blood and represented 
about the average of the cattle of the Panhandle section of the 
State. They were the "tops" of a bunch of about 200 head 
and were fairly uniform as to conformation, quality, and condi- 
tion. Their average weight when the experiment began was 904 
pounds, and the value placed on them was $42.50 a head. 

Feed Used 

The feeds used, namely, cotton-seed meal, cotton-seed hulls, 
silage, and hay, were of average quality. 

The silage was composed chiefly of milo maize, which had been 
harvested when the heads were about mature and the stalks and 
leaves were still green. The other components of the silage 
were sorghum and Indian corn. It Avas estimated that the larger 
portion of the silage fed consisted of about 75 per cent milo 
maize, 15 per cent Indian corn, and 10 per cent sorghum. That 
which was fed during the last 20 days of the test contained a 
someMdiat higher percentage of Indian corn. 

The hay Avas composed of sorghum and Johnson grass, about 
half and half. 

An average sample of each lot of feed was analyzed hy the 
Chemical Division of the Experiment Station. These analyses 
are shown in the following table : 

TABLE I. 



Feeds. 


Percentage composition. 


Water. 


1 1 1 Nitro. 
Ash. Pro- Crude freeex- 
tein. fiber. | tract. 


Fat. 


Cotton-seed 

meal. 
Cotton-seed 

meal. 
Cotton-seed 

hulls. 
Cotton-seed 

hulls. 
Cotton-seed 

hulls. 
Silage .-.'. 

Silage 


Dec. 8, 1911, to ! 6.42 

Mar. 13, 1912. | 
Mar. 14, 1912, to | 6.26 

Apr. 5, 1912. j 
' Dec. 8, 1911, to 1 10.91 

Feb. 26, 1912. | 
Feb. 27, 1912, to | 10.15 

Mar, 13, 1912. | 
Mar.l5, 1912, to | 8.24 

Apr. 5, 1912. j 
Dec. 8, 1911, to 1 66.02 

Mar. 14, 1912. 
Mar. 15, 1912, to 60.52 

Apr. 5, 1912. 
Jan. 8, 1912. to 1 8.48 

Apr. 5, 1912. 


5.65 
5.49 
2.50 
2.58 
2.44 
2.82 
3.05 
7.21 


43.45 
44.05 
5.07 
4.81 
4.50 
2.54 
3.28 
4.22 


7.39 

9.28 
46.05 
43.00 
45.65 

8.86 
10.57 
30.78 


24.67 
25.72 
33.79 
38.33 
37.49 
19.15 
21.70 
48.02 


10.42 
9.20 
1.68 
1.13 
1.68 
.61 
.88 


Hay _.. 


1.29 



The cost of the feeds was as follows 

—34— 



Cotton-seed meal : $27.00 per ton- 

Cotton-seed hulls 8.50 per ton. 

Silage 2.50 per ton. 

Hay 7.00 per ton. 

The crops from which the silage was made were grown on 
Colonel Bugbee's place. Though the actual cost of production — 
including rental value of the land, the preparation of the soil, 
planting, and cultivating the crops and placing them in the silo — 
was estimated to be considerably less than $2,50 a ton, this price 
is placed on the silage because it is thought that it represents 
more nearly what the average cost of production would be 
throughout the State. 



Plan of Experiment 



The afternoon of December 7, 1911, the steers were divided 
into two lots, designated as Lot 1 and Lot 2, the former con- 
taining 15 head and the latter 25 head. The division w^as made 
as equally as possible with regard to average weight, quality, 
and breeding. Only 15 head were used in Lot 1 for the reason 
that this number was considered sufficien to eliminate any dif- 
ferences in the result that might be attributed to differences in 
individuality, and because it was not desirable to purchase any 
more cotton-seed hulls than was necessary to conduct the experi- 
ment properly. 

The pens in which the cattle were fed were practically equal 
in all conditions that might have had a bearing on the results. 
Each had a shed open on the south side which afforded protec- 
tion against the cold north wind to some extent, but which did 
little more than this as will be explained later. The cattle in 
both pens had free access to salt and water at all times. 

The two lots were fed as follows : 

Lot 1. Cotton-seed meal and cotton-seed hulls. 

Lot 2. Cotton-seed meal, silage, and, during a part of the ex- 
periment, mixed sorghum and Johnson grass hay- 

The cattle were fed twice daily, early in the morning and late 
in the afternoon. The meal and hulls were thoroughly mixed 
together in the feed trough. The silage was placed in the trough, 
the meal sprinkled over it, and then the two feeds were thor- 
oughly mixed together with an ordinary hull fork. The hay 
was supplied in a separate trough, though a rack would have 
been better. 

A preliminary feeding period of a few days would have been 
desirable in orcler to get the cattle to eating well before begin- 
ning the actual test, but on account of the late date, the experi- 
ment proper was begun on the day of the first feeding. 

— 3'5— 



The Feeding Test 



The experiment covered a period of 119 days, from the morn- 
ing of December 8, 1911, to the evening feed of April 4, 1912. 

The rations per steer for the first day were as follows : 

Lot. 1. Three pounds cotton-seed meal, 19 1-3 pounds cotton- 
seed hulls. 

Lot 2. Three pounds cotton-seed meal, 24 1-5 pounds silage. 

Hay was added to the ration of Lot 2 on January 8. This 
adition was made because the steers in this lot were not eating 
a sufficient quantity of the silage, possibly because of its succu- 
lent character, to afford them as much dry matter as was being 
consumed by those in Lot 1. It was found, however, that the 
steers did not take to the hay very readily ; indeed, they did not 
seem to relish it at any time, though they were supplied with 
it until the end of the experiment- It is doubtful, therefore, 
whether the addition of hay proved to be of any advantage. 
The average daily amount consumed per steer was slightly over 
3 pounds. 

After the first few days as much hulls for Lot 1 and as much 
silage for Lot 2 were supplied as the steers would clean up, the 
daily amounts for each steer being about 28 2-3 pounds of hulls, 
and about 50 pounds of silage, respectively. 

The cotton-seed meal for both lots was gradually increased. 
On January 6 the amount reached 6 pounds a head daily for 
each lot, this amount remaining unchanged until February 11, 
when 7 pounds a head daily was fed. When, therefore, the steers 
were on full feed their rations were as follows : 

Lot 1. Seven pounds cotton-seed meal, 30 pounds seed hulls. 

Lot 2. Seven pounds cotton-seed meal, 50 pounds silage, 3 
pounds hay. 

The writer feels confident that the results would have been 
more satisfactory if a smaller quantity of meal had been fed. 
There was one steer, in particular, in Lot 1 that showed the evil 
effects of the heavy meal feeding towards the end of the experi- 
ment. Though Lot 2 received the same quantity of meal per 
steer there were apparently no injurious effects — a fact which 
would seem to indicate that a larger quantity of meal may be 
fed successfully in connection with silage than with hulls, or 
that the injurious effects of the meal may, at least to some extent, 
be counteracted by the silage. 

For a feeding period of 119 days, with cattle of the weight 
of those used, better results should have been obtained, especially 
in Lot 1 and probably in Lot 2 also, if the quantity of meal and 
been increased gradually from 3 pounds at the start to 5 pounds 

—36— 



dt the end of 40 days; continued on this amount until the end 
of 80 days and then increased to 6 pounds for the remainder 
of the period. 

A great mistake made by many feeders in Texas is that they 
do not feed their cattle sufficiently long to finish them. As a 
general rule the higher price received for finished cattle will 
more than pay for the 30 to 60 days of extra feeding necessary 
to finish them. It is rarely the case that cattle are in proper 
condition to be marketed at the end of 120 days of feeding. 
Three or four-year-old steers should generally be fed 150 days 
and younger cattle a still longer period, two-year-olds requiring 
about 180 days. It is, however, less practicable to carry cattle 
on straight meal and hulls for longer than 120 days than on many 
other kinds of rations. 

The cattle that were used in this experiment were not finished 
when they were marketed, and it is believed that had they been 
fed 30 days longer the results would have been more profitable, 
provided the quantity of meal previously fed had been such 
as to permit of further feeding, which, however, was not the 
case. Though, apparently, the silage-fed steers could have been 
fed longer without injurious effects, it would probably have 
been better for them as well as for the hulls-fed steers, if the 
feeding was to have lasted 150 days, for the allowance of meal 
to have been about as follows : Two to 21/0 pounds of meal for 
the first thirty days; 3 to 31/0 pounds for the second 30 days; 
4 to 4I/2 pounds for the third 30 days; and 5 pounds for the 
last 60 days; the increases to have been made gradually or not 
at a greater rate than about i/4 pound per day- 
There was no trouble in getting either lot of steers to eating 
well, but it was very noticeable from the beginning to the end 
of the experiment that the steers of Lot 2 relished their ration 
of meal and silage much more than the steers of Lot 1 relished 
their ration of meal and hulls. The steers in Lot 2 would eat 
the silage about as readily before the meal was mixed with it 
as afterwards, whereas those in Lot 1 did not care for the hulls 
until after the meal was mixed with it. 

The droppings from the steers of both were in good condition 
throughout the experiment, no scouring or digestive disorders 
being indicated. 

The weather conditions were unusually severe during the 
greater portion of the period that the expriment was in progress. 
A few days after the cattle were started on feed a heavy snow 
fell and in melting placed the pens and the space under the 
sheds in very bad condition. This was followed by alternate 
freezing and thawing, so that when the ground was not frozen 
the mud was knee deep. The steers' feet became very sore and 
for several days it seemed to be an effort for them to get to the 

—37— 



feed troughs. These conditions begain about December 19, and 
with the snows that fell in February, the pens and sheds were 
kept in such a bad condition until near the close of the experi- 
ment that there was no dry place for the cattle to lie down. 
Neither lot, therefore, made the gains that they should have 
made had the conditions been normal. 

The final results of the experiment are shown in the following 

table : 

TABLE II. 





^ 






.. 


a 


o 


o 




a 




S 


^ 




c^ 


o 








& 




"« r,^ 


T^ 






,!3 
be 03 






Oi 


^ o 


^1 


f-< 




OJ S 


03 




^ 


IS ., 


|"3 


5 'rt 




^ 1 




0) CI, 


a 

03 CO 




^ bjD 

r— ^ 


^bfi 
03 




OC-l^ 


'^-( 


t? 


g 


be 


fl 3 


o pj 




2S 


o 


^ ci 




c3 . 




S 






« «J 


13 o 


Ia 


^ O 


-1^ o 




^12 


d 


o ~ 


o" '"'■ 


O ^ 


03 PH 
O 




<^ 


^ 


^ 


H 


< 


PM 


O 


Lot No. 1 


895 


15 


712.5 
cotton-seed 


236 


1.98 


301.9 
cotton-seed 


$10.04 












meal. 






meal. 










3316.8 






1405.4 










cotton-seed 






cotton-seed 










hulls. 


242 




hulls. 




Lot No. 2 


909 


25 


716.1 
cotton-seed 


2.03 


295.9 
cotton-seed 


7.32 












meal. 






meal. 










5661.0 






2339.0 










Silage. 






Silage. 










Hay. 






Hay. 










2Y8.7 






115.0 





The table shows the results to be considerably in favor of the 
cotton-seed meal, silage, and hay ration. The steers of Lot 2 
made a slightly greater gain at a much lower cost. Since the 
amount of cotton-seed meal fed to each steer was practically the 
same in both lots, the difference in favor of Lot 2 must be 
attributed to the silage and the small amount of hay. This is 
certainly a favorable showing for silage, to say the least. It is 
apparent that at current prices silage can be utilized to much 
better advantage than cotton-seed hulls for fattening cattle. 

Though the silage used in this experiment was composed chief- 
ly of milo maize, it is reasonable to believe that silage made of 
Indian corn, kaffir corn, or even sorghum would, at least, give 
equally as good results. It remains, however, for other experi- 
ments to determine definitely the relative value of the various 
kinds of silage for fattening cattle. 



—38— 



Marketing 



As previously stated, the ration test ended with the afternoon 
feed of April 4. The final weights were taken early in the 
morning of April 5, before the cattle were given anything to 
eat. On that day and until noon of the following day the steers 
in both lots were fed corn husks (shucks) in liberal quantity, 
preparatory to shipping, no other feed being given.' On the 
afternoon of April 6 they were shipped to the Kansas City 
market, and were unloaded there about 6 p- m., April 8. In 
order to ascertain the shrinkage that had occurred since the 
morning of April 5, the steers of each lot were run across the 
scales immediately after being unloaded, before they were fed 
or watered. 

A comparison of the weights is shown in the following table : 





TABLE 


III. 






Average weight 

at Clarendon. 

Pounds. 


Average weight 

at Kansas City. 

Pounds. 


Shrinkage. 
Pounds. 


Lot No. 1 


1131 
1151 


1047 
1068 


84 


Lot. No. 2 


83 







It will be observed that there was practically no ditference in 
the shrinkage of the steers of Lot 1 and those of Lot 2. 

The two lots of steers were sold separately to Swift & Com- 
pany on the morning of April 9, having been supplied in the 
meantime with hay and water. They were weighed by the buy- 
ers at about 11 a. m. 

A statement of the weights of the steers and the prices re- 
ceived for them is shown in the following table : 

TABLE IV. 





|No 


steers. 


Av. weight. 
Pounds. 1 

1 


Price 
per cwt. 


Amount. 


Lot No. 1 

Lot No. 2 




15 

25 


1060 
1083 


$6.75 
6.95 


$71.55 
75.27 



The table shows that the silage-fed steers sold for 20 cents per 
hundredweight more than the hulls-fed steers. By comparing 
this table with Table III it will be seen that the "tiH" received 
by Lot 1 was 13 pounds per steer and that received by Lot 2 
15 pounds per steer. 



-39- 



Slaughter Test 



Through the kindness of Swift & Company, slaughter records 
of the two lots were furnished us. Lot 1 dressed 58.45 per cent 
and Lot 2 58.2 per cent, the difference being too small to be of 
importance. 

The following communication from Swift & Company indi- 
cates their estimate of the cattle on the hooks : 



SWIFT & COMPANY 

STOCK YARDS STATION 

Kansas City, Kansas 



April 12, 1912. 



Prof. J. C. Burns, 

Agricultural and Mechanical College, 
College Station, Texas. 
Dear Sir: We attach herewith statement showing yield, etc., 
on cattle killed Wednesday, April 10, 1912. 

Lot 1, 15 cattle, costing $6.75 alive, were of a medium grade, 
3 in this lot being on the ' ' fair ' ' order- 
Lot 2, 25 cattle, costing 6.95 alive, dressed out considerably 
better than Lot 1, there being but two slightly below the average 
flesh and quality of the whole lot. 

These two lots of cattle are not what we consider a well fin- 
ished bunch of cattle, but classify according to our grading as 
"fair or medium". 

Yours respectfully, 

Swift & Company. 

PER. H. L. H. 

Financial Outcome 

A statement of the initial cost per steer, the average expense 
in marketing, the average selling price, and the average net pro- 
fit for each lot is shown in the following table: 

TABLE V. 



Lot 1. 



Lot 2. 



Number of steers 

Cost per steer at beginning of experiment 

Cost of feed consumed per steer during experi- 
ment 

Cost of shucks ($6 per ton) consumed per steer 
preparatory to shipping 

Freight charge per steer in marlveting 

Cost of yardage per steer on market 

Cost of hay per steer on market 

Commission per steer in selling 



15 


25 


$42.50 


$42.50 


23.715 


17.72 


.08 


.067 


3.46 


3.46 


.25 


.25 


.375 


.375 


.50 


.50 



—40— 



Total cost per steer $70.88 $64.87 

Selling price per steer 71. .55 75.27 




Net profit per steer 

The net profit of $10.40 a head on the steers of Lot 2 as com- 
pared with the net profit of 67 cents a head on the steers of Lot 1 
shows that silage has a high value for beef production. 

Neither the labor involved in feeding, on the one hand, nor 
the value of the manure, on the other, is included in the above 
statement. As a general rule, however, the value of the manure 
offsets the cost of labor in most feeding operations, a fact that 
should be more generally recognized. 



Summary 



1. Silage was a much cheaper feed that cotton-seed hulls and 
yielded slightly larger gains. 

2. There was practically no difference in the shrinkage of the 
two lots of steers in shipping. 

3. There was practically no difference in the dressing percent- 
age of the two lots. 

4. The silage-fed steers showed considerably better finish and 
brought 20 cents a hundredweight more on the market than the 
hulls-fed steers- 

5. The net profit on the silage-fed steers was $10.40 a head and 
the net profit on the hulls-fed steers was 67 cents a head. 

The results of this experiment seem to indicate that a ration 
of cotton-seed meal and silage may be used far more profitably 
than a ration of cotton-seed meal and cotton-seed hulls for fat- 
tening cattle. 



Economy of the Silo 

A great deal has been said and written about the value of 
the silo on stock and dairy farms, but very little has been 
written about the economy of the silo. 

Actual results will show that when maize, kaffir and other 
similar forage are fed from the stack, as is the usual custom in 
New Mexico and West Texas, counting the waste in hauling 
the crop to the stack and then feeding on the ground where much 
is trampled under foot, much blows away and some is rifu.se, 
it is impossible to get more than 40 per cent of the crop into your 



livestock. In other words, it is necessary to grow 100 acres of 
forage in order to get the feeding value of only 40 acres. Thus 
it is necessary to carry the cost of producing 60 acres of forage 
as a fixed "overhead" cost — or depreciation— whichever term 
you care to use — which must be added to the cost of the feeding 
value of 40 acres. In other words, if it costs $5 per ton to 
produce a crop of maize or kaffir, $5 per ton would be the net 
cost plus 60 per cent ' ' everhead ' ' expense or depreciation, bring- 
ing the total net cost per ton up to $11 for actual feeding re- 
sults. 

With a silo and feeding from troughs it is possible to get 90 
per cent of your crop into your live stock, as there is practically 
no waste, except the depreciation in hauling from the field to 
the silo, which loss does not equal 10 per cent of the whole. Thus 
from 100 acres the feeding value would be 90 acres. At a cost 
of $5 per ton for production plus 10 per cent depreciation, the 
net cost would be only $5.50 per ton, compared with $11 for dry 
feed. 

In other words, if it takes 100 acres of cultivated land to feed 
25 head of cattle or other live stock on dry feed, with the addi- 
tion of a silo it would be possible to feed the same number of 
stock on 40 acres of cultivated crop, or 60 head from the same 
100 acres by using a silo. And tliis, counting ensilage of no more 
value in actual feeding units than dry feed. Add to this the 
difference in feeding value, increase in weight and saving of 
time in feeding and you have the net economy of the silo. But 
if there wasn't any difference in the value of the two feeds, 
the economy in saving alone is at least 50 per cent. However, 
there is a big difference in the value in favor of ensilage- 

For a dairy asset there is no other thing that will compare 
with the silo in this country or any other section of New Mexico 
or West Texas, making it possible to produce cream at less than 
half the cost of production where a silo is not utilized, thus 
making this the most economical and profitable dairying section 
of the United States — considering land values in the older settled 
States where dairying is the principal occupation of thousands 
of farmers. 



A canvas made by the Wisconsin State Board Of Agriculture 
shows that there is a total of 42,821 silos in that State. This 
means that approximately one-fourth of the farmers of the Sta!:e 
are using silos. 



The largest silo in the 3outh, it is said, will be built at the 
Texas Experiment Station, feeding and breeding farm of the 
Agricultural and Mechanical College. The silo is of reinforced 
steel and concrete construction, and has a capacity of 400 tons. 



—42- 



TJiis is the fourth silo tliat has been constructed by the College 
in an endeavor to determine which type is best suited to the 
farmers and stockmen of Texas. 



The North Dakota Experiment Station will carry on a pork 
production contest this year. Twenty-four cash prizes are Ix'ing 
offered: First, $100; second, $50; third, $30; fourth, $25; firth, 
$15; the next five $10 each; and the eleventh to twenty-fourth, 
$5 each. The contest" is open to boys and ^irls 10 to 18 years 
of age. Each, contestant must secure a sow and raise her litter 
of pigs. The awards are to be made on the amount of pork pro- 
duction from the litter of one sow at the smallest cost, and the 
greatest gains per day. , -^ 



The United States Government has recently issued a bulletin 
on raising cattle in the South. This bulletin is authority for 
the statement that the Southwest must furnish the beef supply 
of the future, because cattle can be raised in abundance there 
at less expense than in any other section of the country. The 
winters are short and less severe and it requires much less feed 
to winter them. There are 300 kinds of grasses that grow in 
the South indigenous without cultivation, all of which are good 
food for cattle. 



An Era of Silo Building 

Silos are being erected all over the Southwest and this means 
cheaper feeding. Succulent food is almost a necessity wlien 
pastures are brown and sear- Animals will not make satisfac- 
tory gains on dry feed, even though a balanced ration be fed. 

The coming of the silo means conservation of feed. It is con- 
servatively estimated that when corn is husked in the field and 
the stalks left to bleach, 40 per cent of the feeding value of the 
plant is wasted. Even a greater loss, perhaps, is sustained when 
kaffir, milo, and saccharine sorghums are grown for grain and 
the heads only saved, leaving the stalks to decay in the field. 

Roughage is indispensable to economical feeding and what 
crop will produce more per acre than corn or one of the sor- 
ghums when converted into silage? Feeding from the silo is 
also much more convenient than feeding from the hay loft where 
bulky roughage must be handled. Animals consume the entire 
plant when silage is fed, whereas much of the stalks are wasted 
when fodder is fed Instead. 

The silo gives a better opportunity for raising live stock on 
a small farm, as a few acres only of good land will be sufficient 
to fill one or two silos, whereas a great deal may be needed when 

—43— 



the land must be sown in pasture. The advent of the silo means 
more than would at first appear. It means that those who have 
made this advance in conserving their feeding resources will take 
advance ground in other progressive practices of farm manage- 
ment. ' 



When Farms Produce More 

It is a fact, as shown both in this country and in Europe, 
that no section has ever maintained its wealth in agricultural 
products for any considerable length of time without animal 
husbandry as the main industry or to supplement general farm- 
ing. True, when a section of the country is first brought into 
cultivation the soil, being virgin and very fertile, may produce 
in abundance and it would appear that fertility is inexhaustible. 
But experience teaches that crops, when they are sold and re- 
moved from the farm, soon reduce the humus and fertility con- 
stituents so that the land no longer produces profitably. 

Animal husbandry is necessary for permanent fertility. It 
is essential to general farming in that it reduces waste, obviates 
the necessity of marketing such bulky products as hay, fodder, 
grain, etc- It distributes labor, in many instances providing 
work for the men and teams when crops do not demand atten- 
tion. 

The problem of feeding the people is the greatest with which 
we are confronted. We have advanced so fast in city popula- 
tion and industries other than farming that food production has 
not kept pace. Without an abundance of food no people can 
make great progress, nor can they remain in peace and content- 
ment. Our farms are now required to supply the people with 
meat as well as bread. Ranches have been converted into farms 
in many sections. The sudden transition from ranching has 
diminished the supply of live stock faster than the small farms 
can meet the deficit. This means that if our section of the 
country is to maintain its standing plans must be provided for 
raising more animals on small farms. 

Land owners must assist their tenants to raise animals. This 
can be done by helping the tenants secure breeding stock, pro- 
viding pastures, buildings, etc., erecting cross-fences so diversi- 
fied crops may be grown. This will make it possible for the fer- 
tility of the farm to be maintained and relieve both land owner 
and tenant from dependence upon cotton as a money crop. 

Before this can be accomplished more feed crops must be pro- 
duced. The proportion of cotton to grain, hay and pasture crops 
must be reduced. More feed stored and more animals fed. This 
will mean greater investment, as live stock represent consider- 

—44— 



able capital; barns, creameries, dairies, silos, etc., must be built. 
This will require co-operation on the part of the banks and other 
business men, but it is co-operation that will build the South- 
west- Capital wisely invested in live stock, silos, and other farm 
building means more wealth not only for the producer, but for 
the country. It means larger crops, better profits, longer schools, 
good roads, and progressive agriculture in all that it signifies. 



A country cannot prosper when its people have no food, or 
even when a large per cent of the inhabitants are paupers. 
Great manufacturing plants, transportation companies, profes- 
sional men and local business men are dependent upon the food 
crops produced on our farms. Then if we are dependent upon 
the crops and animals raised on our farms isn't it desirable to 
conserve the supply by eliminating waste in distribution as well 
as in production? And doesn't this responsibility of eliminating 
waste fall upon all of us as well as the producer? 



The Silo on a Texas Dairy Farm 

Twenty years ago Joe Bobbit was an ordinary blackland farm- 
er in Central Texas. Like all of his neighbors, every year he 
planted a fair acreage in corn, some oats and occasionally a 
little of other grains; the rest of the farm was in cotton. Like 
his neighbors, also, Mr. Bobbitt "ran an account" at the store 
for the year's supplies, and at the end of the year, if the season 
was good and the price of cotton a little up, he about broke even 
and could begin the new year with a clean sheet — not debit, no 
credit. If the cotton market was rotten — and it often was — he 
sometimes lacked a little "coming out" and started the new 
year behind. But land was cheap, supplies didn't cost much, 
and he managed to get along and accumulate a comfortable area 
of black land. 

Along about the same time the Bobbitts were milking six or 
seven cows, ordinary scrubs of those days and void of a single 
drop of dairy-type blood. 

The whole herd, Mr. Bobbit says, barely supplied his little 
family, and the cream that rose on the mlik was not thicker than 
a newspaper. When they all went dry at once, he was so dis- 
gusted that he sold the entire bunch for $10 a head and bought 
two young registered Jerseys for $250. They have never been 
without plenty of milk and butter since. 

When Mr. Bobbitt bought those two Jerseys 20 years ago he 
had no more idea of getting into the dairy farming business 
than of becoming a railroad president or a Mexican revolutionist- 
He was simply tired of depending on scrub cows for milk that 

-—45— 



at best was scant in cream and quantity, and determined once 
and for all to provide a future supply, abundant, rich, and 
never failing. Unconsciously and without intention he grew into 
dairy farming. 

There was a natural increase in the number of milch cows. 
]Mr. Bobbitt soon saw that to keep up their quality he must have 
a bull of unimpeachable pedigree, and to do this with profit a 
still larger number of cows had to be kept. This meant a greatly 
increased supply of cream and a growing number of surplus 
calves. Six miles away at Hillsboro was an unfailing market 
for all the butter he could furnish, but it was too far to deliver 
milk. A market at good prices was never wanting for all the 
calves, male and female, he would sell. From the beginning, 
therefore, his dairy farming found two avenues of income — 
making butter and selling it in Hillsboro and selling the young 
stock he did not find it convenient to keep. 

i\Ir. Bobbit has 300 acres of land, part of it creek bottom and 
part of it upland and broken. Some 250 acres are in cultivation 
and the remainder, mostly broken and hills, is in pasture. In 
his herd of Jerseys are 33 milch cows and as many more calves 
and yearlings. At different times, as his experience as a breeder 
prompted, he has brought in new blood and in getting what 
he wanted he has never been stingy. The splendid bull now at 
the head of the herd was imported from the Island of Jersey, 
where he had been first and second once each in the great shows 
held annually in the original home of his breed. 

Mr. Bobbitt 's farm, known as Plum Hill Dairy Farm, is, as 
its name implies, devoted entirely to the dairy business. Some 
cotton is planted every year, but principally as one item in his 
general scheme of diversification and rotation. The equipment 
of the farm, its crops, its operations and its business transac- 
tions are all aimed at the production of perfect butter and as 
nearly as possible perfect butter producers. 

Plum Hill Farm is fenced into a number of different enclos- 
ures so that at any season of the year there is some crop or pas- 
ture on which the cattle may run and find rich grazing except 
during an unusually severe winter season or a long continued 
summer drouth- At present, for example, there are two or three 
winter oats pastures and a permanent pasture of native rescue 
grass. The latter pasture is also green with mesquite grass in 
the spring and summer. Mr. Bobbitt has a splendid dairy farm, 
but his cattle, milch cows, and all, run in the pastures day and 
night the year round. Very seldom indeed, he told me, is the 
weather such as to necessitate their spending a night in the barn. 
Thus practically all manure is returned immediately to the land 
from which it comes and without labor, and keeping the dairy 
barn clean is an easy matter. 

— i6 — 



Six years ago Mr. Bobbitt built the first two silos in Hill 
County — now there are manj- of them. They were each of oO 
tons capacity and made of staves. Inexperience and therefore 
uncertain as to the effect of the Southwestern climate on a stave 
silo when exposed to extremes of heat and moisture, he inclosed 
them with boarded walls and put a roof over them. Two years 
ago he bought another 150-ton silo, but its concrete foundation 
and floor set three feet in the ground increases its capacity l-l 
tons. A covered and walled-in area, roomy and well-lighted . 
connects the three silos with the dairy barn. 

Some 50 feet away is the dairy house, which is, in fact, a 
small farm creamery, well lighted and airy and with a concrete 
cellar or basement. The dairj^ house is equipped with a steam- 
turbine driven separator of 1200 pounds capacity, steam boiler, 
power-driven chnrns, running water, and other modern necessi- 
ties and conveniences. With its equipment the dairy house rep- 
resents an investment of about $1200; the barns and silos an 
additional investment of nearly $3000. 

For his silos Mr. Babbitt grows as a principal crop ordinary 
corn. It is generally contended that for the Southwest sorghum 
is the best silage crop, but after six years of experience with 
corn kaffir, milo and sorghum Mr. Babbitt is convinced that 
corn here, as in the North, is easily the best- It makes just as 
good or better silage and the yield per acre is much greater than 
with either of the other crops. But he is no one-crop man even 
in the matter of silage ; he grows several acres of kaifir and usu- 
ally a few acres^selclom more than five or six — of sorghum. 
The crops are harvested with two corn-binders and put into the 
silos by cutter driven with a gasoline engine. 

A few other grain crops are grown, but for feed for the work 
animals that make the silage crops and haul the butter to town. 
No crops are sold except the few bales of cotton. ]Mr. Bobbit 
fed silage to his mules during the fall and winter when they 
were not at work, cutting their grain ration in half, and they 
are fat and in fine condition generally. He intends putting up 
another 150-ton silo in time for the coming season's filling so 
that he may have plenty of silage for his work stock ; he believes 
that he can thus cut down their grain feed at least one-third 
even when they are at work. 

The milch cows of Plum Hill Dairy Farm are fed silage night 
and morning, all they will eat up clean, the year round. They 
are also fed an average of about three pounds of cotton-seed 
meal a day per cow. 

He used to put up and buy from 3,000 to 4,000 bales of hay 
a year, Mr. Bobbitt say, and he thought a cow couldn't get along 
without hay. This winter he hasn't fed them a bale, and they 

—47— 



have done as well as ever, if not better. If you have silage you 
have no need of hay. 

Selling only butter and dairy stock, as Mr. Bobbitt does, elim- 
inates most of the drudgery of dairy farming. They get about 
their milking at 5.30 in the morning, and are through milking 
and feeding, have the cream separated and get their breakfast 
in time for the boys to get off to school. In the afternoon milk- 
ing is begun at 4.30, and all the work is done and they are ready 
for supper by sundown these short winter days- 

At present they are milking 26 cows and they carry 70 to 75 
pounds of rich, golden butter to market twice a week. One 
groceryman in Hillsboro takes the entire output of the farm and 
wishes they could furnish him a great deal more. 

Mr. Bobbitt figures that his butter business just about pays 
the expenses of the farm — labor, feed that is bought, interest on 
investment, and repairs — and that the profit all comes from the 
sales of increasing stock. 

He has about $4,000 in equipment and he could sel his herd 
for not less than $10,000. Land around his is valued at $125 
an acre, which would make his worth $37,500, but it isn't. It 
wont pay a reasonable interest on that amout; its real value, 
based on returns, is nearer $50 an acre, or $15,000 for the whole 
tract. He consider that he has an investmen of about $30,000 
that pays good returns and a satisfying profit. He could sell 
five times as many heifer calves as he does. 

Plum Hill Farm is well equipped with conveniences such as 
waterworks, power, and rural mail delivery. One of the pike 
roads to be built out of a recent bond issue will pass within a 
half-mile of the house. 

The Bobbit family is happy and contented. One son is in the 
State University and will complete his course this year. A 
daughter is doing splendid work as a student in the State College 
of Industrial Arts. Another son has been in the University 
two or three years, but is at present at home helping with the 
work of the farm ; he intends to take up his school work a year 
or two later. The younger children have the advantage of a good 
district school a mile from their home. 

Mr. Bobbitt has found Jersey cows and silos a wonderfully 
profitable combination on the Southwestern farm. 



—48— 



Growing Crops to Fill the Silo 

By A. B. Connor, 
Agronomist, Texas Experiment Stations. 

Someone has said that the silo is the poor man's necessity and 
the rich man's luxurj^ for by it both gain a better and more 
independent living. Sixty-four per cent of the nutrients in 
the corn plant is contained in the grain and cob, and '46 per 
cent in the stalks and leaves. The silo makes possil)le the sav- 
ing of this 36 per cent, which would otherwise be lost if only 
the ears were harvested. During the fermentation process silage 
undergoes a change which softens the fiber and makes more di- 
gestible the nutrients contained, and hence a greater amount is 
assimilated by the animal. Silage contains a lactic acid which 
has a beneficial effect on the animal by acting as an appetizer 
and a tonic. 

The principle involved in making silage is that of bringing 
about fermentation without decomposition of the materials used. 
This requires the exclusion of air and the presence of a certain 
amonnt of sugar necessary to fermentation. This principle is 
applied in the preservation of many foods, such as sauer kraut 
and canned fruits. The acidity of silage combined with lack 
of air contact are the two elements of preservation. The sugar 
necessary for acidity is generally present, but the exclusion of 
the air is entirely in the hands of the man preparing and put- 
ting up the silage. 

The size of the silo will depend upon the number of animals 
to be fed and the length of the feeding period. It is necessary 
to remove two inches of silage each day after feeding has begun 
to avoid loss by spoiling. One cow will eat 30 to 35 pounds or 
1 cubic foot daily- To find the number of cubic feet contained 
in 2 inches of a given silo, multiply the circumference by one- 
fourth the diameter and divide by six. Accordingly one can 
figure the size of silo requirede to feed a certain number of cows 
a given number of days. One can also figure the exact period 
required to exhaust a silo of a given height. 



Silage Crops 



A silo 30 feet deep will furnish silage for practically six 
months if fed at the rate of two inches daily. A silo 30 feet 
deep will hold a greater tonnage than two silos 15 feet^ deep, 
all being the samediameter. A silo 32 feet deep and 1-1 feet in 
diameter has a capacity of approximately 100 tons. A silo of 
the same height and 20 feet in diameter has a capacity of approxi- 
mately 200 tons. 

—49— 



In constructing a silo the wall should be sufficiently strong to 
withstand the pressure imposed upon it after being filled so as 
to insure against side openings. This outward pressure is 11 
pounds per square foot for every foot of depth and amounts to 
330 pounds per square foot at the base of a 30-foot silo. 

Corn is generally reputed to produce silage superior in quality 
to other crops. Kecent experimental work indicates that kaffir- 
corn silage is approximately equal in feeding value to corn silage. 
Milo, feterita, and other grain sorghums produce good silage, 
perhaps of about the same feeding value as Indian corn. The 
sweet sorghums produce silage of good quality, but not equal 
in feeding value to either Indian corn or grain sorghums. Le- 
gumes cannot be siloed alone satisfactorily because they do not 
contain the sugar necessary for proper fermentation. Legumes 
are high in protein and add materially to the feeding value of 
ensilage made from corn, kaffir corn, and so forth. They can be 
utilized to great advantage either by mixing at silo or by grow- 
ing in same row with corn, kaffir corn or sorghum. 

Since the semi-arid region is primarily suited to the produc- 
tion of grain sorghums, this section is admirably provided with 
silage crops that equal Indian corn in quality and excelling it 
in point of yield. 

Indian corn should be harvested for ensilage after the ears 
have become well glazed. This may not be possible at times on 
account of drouth, but even in such case the corn should not 
be cut green as it will produce inferior silage. Kaffir corn, milo, 
feterita, and similar grain sorghums should be allowed to ripen 
seed before cutting, as they contain a higher percentage of juice 
and sugar than corn; hence, if cut earlier, would likely produce 
sour silage- The sweet sorghums must be allowed to ripen thor- 
oughly on account of their high juice and sugar content. Too 
often silage crops are cut green, which results in poor silage. 

Cost of Filling the Silo 

The cost of filling a silo varies considerably, depending upon 
the management of labor and the length of the haul. This cost, 
on 31 different farms in Michigan and Wisconsin reported in 
Farmers' Bulletin 292, United States Department of Agricul- 
ture, 86 cents per ton. Increased cost due to length of haul is 
unavoidable. Much depends, however, on the management of 
labor and teams in filling. The figures compiled from these 31 
farms bore out the fact that the type of machinery used had 
little to do with the cost so long as the machinery was efficient. 
They also brought out the fact that much of the increased cost 
of putting up silage is due to the poor utilization of teams and 

—50-. 



labor. The man who hauls small loads increases his cost ma- 
terially. About eight men required ordinarily. One man with 
three horses to the corn harvester; two men to load wagons in 
the field; three or four men with teams to haul to the cutter; 
one man to feed the cutter, and one man in the silo to spread 
and tramp silage, exclusive of a man to attend the engine. This 
outfit may be reduced by two men by utilizing two boys to dri\ e 
wagons from the field to the cutter and by having one man 
unload wagons. 



Feeding Value 



The Indiana Experiment Station found silage extremely palat- 
able as a winter feed for breeding ewes and young lambs. Si- 
lage-fed ewes gave birth to lambs one pound heavier than ewes 
receiving dry feed. It apparently has a desirable effect on the 
digestive system and general health of breeding ewes in winter. 
The Ohio Experiment Station found that silage may be used 
advantageously in fattening cattle where stover and hay are 
high in price. They found one ton of silage to equal for beef 
production 4.42 bushels of corn, .03 tons of stover and .25 tons 
of hay- Valuing corn at 50 cents per bushel, stover at $5 per 
ton and hay at $10 per ton, the value of corn silage is 4.06 per 
ton. 

The Texas Experiment Station found silage a much cheaper 
feed than cotton-seed hulls and it yielded larger gains. Silage- 
fed steers showed considerably better finish and brought 20 cents 
per hundredweight more on the market than hulls-fed steers. 
The total profit on silage-fed steers was $10.40 per head, while 
the profit on hulls-fed steers was 67 cents per head, a difference 
worth considering. 

Feeding Silage in the Southwest 

By Carl N. Kennedy, 

Department of Animal Husbandry, 

Texas A. & M. College. 

Experiments conducted at Texas Experiment Station, as well 

as experiments conducted elsewhere, indicate that silage will be 

one of the leading factors in cheapening the cost of production 

and thereby increasing the profits in many of the different forms 

of feeding. This is especially true in regard to beef cattle, dairy 

cattle and sheep, the animals which have four stomachs. They 

are able to use a greater amount of silage than horses and hogs, 

and experimental data shows no injurious effects, as sometimes 

reported in the case of horses. 

—51— 



Conditions in the Southwest are favorable to the use of silage. 
It is no uncommon occurence for drouth to attack a corn crop at 
the time when it would make good silage, but very little corn. 
Last summer many farmers with silos saved a large portion of 
their crop that would have been largely wasted if thej^ had been 
without silos. ]\Iany sections can grow corn or sorghum to the 
stage where it will do for silage that cannot grow the same crops 
to maturity. 

Another important reason for the silo is to supplement pas- 
tures during the season of drouth or during the winter time. 
It is a well-established fact that stock do better on silage and 
also produce gains more economically on silage than on dry 
feeds during such periods. 

Dairy cattlemen are undoubtedly making the largest use of 
the silo- The reason is that it has been found necessary to pro- 
vide some form of succulence in the dairy cows' ration. The 
New Jersey Experiment Station carried on a test comparing 
soiling, or green feed crops, with silage. They found that while 
cows did slightly better on the green cut feed it was not as profit- 
able owing to the larger amount of labor involved. In this state 
it is doubtful if soiling crops would be profitable as compared to 
silage, and besides, silage can be had at times when it is impos- 
sible to obtain green crops. 

Data collected from cows in the Iowa Cow-Testing Association 
showed that the cows fed on silage produced 6 per cen more 
milk and 7.8 per cent more fat than the cows not fed oji silage. 
In an experiment carried on by the INIississippi Experiment Sta- 
tion during the winter time silage-fed cows decreased 3.38 gal- 
lons of milk monthly per cow while the dry-fed cows decreased 
13.67 gallons. Hence it is safe to assume that silage will increase 
the production of cows. 

Dairy cattle are not the only animals that make a profitable 
use of silage. The Texas Experiment Station is taking the lead 
in trying to answer the question, "Can the Southwest fatten 
her beeves with profit, and if so, .how ? ' ' The results up to date 
point conclusively to the fact that beef can be fattened profit- 
ably by the use of silage. This was clearly demonstrated in 
experiments conducted during the winter of 1912-13. Four lots 
of steers fed different combinations of cotton-seed and its prod- 
ucts and silage made profits ranging from $14.32 to $20.01. 

The rations fed when on full feed were : Lot 1, 30 pounds 
silage and 6 pounds cotton-seed meal. Lot 2, 52 pounds silage 
and 6 pounds cotton-seed meal. Lot 3, 42 pounds silage, 15 
pounds cotton-seed hulls and 6 pounds cotton-seed meal. Lot 4, 
48 pounds silage and 8-9 pounds of cotton-seed meal. The price 
of the feeds were : Cotton-seed meal, $27 per ton ; cotton-seed 



fiulls $7 per ton ; cotton-seed, ^17 per ton, and silage, ^2.o() per 
ton. 

Computed on a basis of the final selling weight at Fort Worth 
or the gain less the shrinkage we find that Lot 1 gained 239 
pounds; Lot 3, 258 pounds, and Lot -1, 235 pounds. The net 
profit on each lot was respectively $14.32, $20.01, 15.81, and 
$18.70. Hence, on this basis, the meal and silage ration produced 
both the largest gain the largest profits. The ration of cotton- 
seed and silage ranked next in total profits. However, this 
ration did not prove as satisfactory as some of the others, as 
toward the last of the experiment the cotton-seed caused the 
steers to scour excessively and cotton-seed meal had to be sub- 
stituted for the seed. In the period after the meal was substi- 
tuted the steers quit scouring and made an average gain' of 3.3 
pounds for a period of 19 days as compared to an average gain 
of 2.09 pounds previous to that time. This further shows that 
the meal is superior to tlie cotton-seed for fattening purposes 
at the prices given. In regard to the other two lots the one re- 
ceiving a ration of meal, hulls, and silage proved superior to the 
one of meal and hulls alone. 

The results indicate that a ration of meal and silage is con- 
siderably superior to the others. If one has plenty of hulls with 
it. On the other hand, there does appear to be an advantage 
in a ration of meal, hulls, and silage over one of meal and hulls 
alone- The financial results would, of course, be modified in ac- 
cordance with the prices of the hulls and silage. 

There is also considerable discussion at presen in regard to 
whether or not silage-fed steers will dress as high as those fed 
on other feeds. A carload of Hereford steers, fed on a ration of 
silage, meal, kaffir chops and either hulls or sorghum hay were 
exhibited by the station at Fort Worth in the spring of 1913 
and won the first prize for carload of highest dressing steers of 
the show with a dressing percentage of 66.02 per cent. This 
rather disproves the statement that that silage-fed animals are 
low in dressing percentage. 

Results equally as good as those of the station are being ob- 
tained by practical stockmen who use judgment in their feed- 
ing. Many are also using silage for wintering young stuff and 
breeding stock. As a result their stock is going through the win- 
ter in much better shape than that of other stockmen who feed 
meal and hulls and have no silos. 

As yet but little experimental data has been provided by any 
of the Southern experiment stations in regard to silage for sheep 
feeding. How^ever, the results so far obtained by the Northern 
stations have been favorable, and there is no reason for their 
data not being applicable to our conditions. The results obtained 
at the Indiana station show that while silage-fed sheep make no 

—53— 



larger gains than those fed entirely on dry feed they niade those 
gains much more economicaly. Under our conditions, where 
there is even more difference in the prices of dry feeds as com- 
pared to silage, there should be a wider difference in the cost 
of gain. 

In sheep feeding the majority of practical men do not feed 
silage exclusively, as is often fed to cattle, but use about one- 
half of some dry roughage and one-half silage. The sheep ap- 
parently do somewhat better on a combination of this kind than 
upon one of silage alone. 

At present some people are feeding silage in limited quantities 
to horses and hogs with success. However, care must be taken 
in the case of horses that no mouldy or spoiled silage be fed, 
as death has been caused from this source. The digestive tract 
of the hog is limited in size and hence they cannot make a large 
use of bulky material such as silage. Some men are getting 
favorable results by feeding small quantities of silage to their 
brood sows. However, it is likely that for the present at least 
that the feeding of silage to hogs and horses will be in limited 
quantities and confined to those farmers and ranchmen that put 
up silage for some of the other classes of stock that they feed- 

If the Southwest is to compete successfully with Northern 
and with imported animal products they must seek economical 
methods of production and improve the quality of their output. 
Silage as a feed enables great strides to be taken in each. Silage 
is without a doubt one of the most economical feeds. By using 
it stockmen are fattening their animals and hence improving 
their quality and enhancing the profits. 

The Road to More Prime Beef 



By A. J. KiCKART. 

It is announced that tJie Rankins, of Missouri, are this year 
stocking up with calves for the first time, and will save the calf 
crop for grazing and breeding purposes. The high level to 
which stocker and feeder prices have risen in the past few years 
has made it advisable for these master stockmen to go into the 
business of raising their cattle, thus changing the policy of de- 
pending upon the range country for raw material. 

The spread of the silo is having the effect of enlarging the 
demand for stock and feeding cattle, and at the same time is 
curtailing the supply. It enlarges the capacity of every com- 
munity to handle cattle, and as silos are being built in both the 
Southwestern range country and in the Corn Belt, the tendency 
is to finish more cattle on the range, thus reducing the supply of 

—54— . 



thin cattle from that section and increasing the cattle-cari-ying 
capacity of the corn country. 

In Kansas at the beginning of the present year there \\er(^ 
estimated to be 7,000 silos. It has been figured that 5,400 silos 
will be built in that State during the present year. The erec- 
tion and filling of a 200-ton silo, other things being equal, means 
that sixty cattle can be wintered where thirty were wintered 
without it. 

On this basis the 12,000 silos of Kansas mean an increased 
capacity for wintering a third of a million cattle above the num- 
ber that could have been wintered two or three years ago. Other 
corn-growing states are as active as Kansas. Silo builders say 
that from present indications the number of silos in the country 
will be doubled this year. Thus the demand for stock cattle 
and feeders in the Corn Belt promises to increase rapidly. 

In the Panhandle of Texas hundreds of silos have been Ijuilt 
in the past year or two, and a large number of cattle Avere fat- 
tened there last winter on silage and cotton-seed meal. In 
February a consignment of steers, fattened on this ration in 
that country, sold to Kansas City packers at $8.80. The top 
price for prime corn-fed native steers the same day at the same 
market was $9.20. 

Years of Good Prices Ahead 

Stock cattle carried through the winter on a ranch that pos- 
sesses a silo come out in the spring in fair fiesh, and go on grass, 
either in their native counttry or in Northern pastures, in good 
condition. They are capable either of making a quick finish for 
market off the Northern pastures, if it is desirable to market 
them early, or of developing good to choice quality and big 
weight later in the summer before the grass season is over. If 
kept in Texas or the Southwest, more of the cattle get fat enough 
for the killers during the summer season and fewer are left 
over for Corn-Belt feeders in the fall. 

Meat consumption is so far ahead of meat production in this 
country that there are doubtless several years of good prices 
ahead for cattle raisers. The good prospects are causing range 
men to build up their herds as rapidly as possible. A single 
instance, typical of many others, was noted recently when a 
ranch o\ATier at Raton, New IMexico, took out from Kansas City 
a herd of 105 head of breeding animals, consisting of 30 bulls 
from 18 to 24 months old, 45 yearling bulls and 30 cows from 
1 to 5 years old. 

The Government has taken a hand in restocking the ranges. 
The Commissioner of Indian Affairs is putting herds or cattle 



on the big reservations, and is mapping out plans for the im- 
provement and development of all .the live-stock of the Indians. 
He has purchased beef cattle for a number of reservations out 
of Indian funds. The Government is also increasing the stock 
of sheep on the reservations, particularly in Arizona and New 
Mexico. 

The Kent Bill was introduced into Congress as a solution of 
the question of the proper handling of the public grazing lands. 
Representatives of the American National Live-stock Association 
went to Washington to urge the enactinent of this bill, which pro- 
vides for a ten-year lease of G-overnment land at maximum graz- 
ing fee of 4 cents an acre, and a minimum fee of i/o cent an 
acre a year. The provisions of the bill permit fencing and va- 
rious other improvements, and amply safe-guard the lessees from 
infringement by settlers. The intent of the bill is to promote 
cattle raising on the public domain. Approximately 45,000,000 
acres are involved. 

At the recent Fort Worth convention of the Texas Cattle 
Raisers' Association several significant features were brought 
out, pointing to a, new era in cattle raising in the Southwest. 
During the last year 553 new members were admitted to the 
association, with cattle holdings of 282,726 head. The mem- 
bership is now 2,700, and in no previous year have so many 
cattlemen sought admission to the association. The large in- 
crease is taken to indicate that there are more active cattlemen 
in the territory covered by the association, which includes Texas, 
and parts of New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas, than ever 
before. 

Fewer Cattle for Corn Belt Feeders 

On the last day of the convention at Fort Worth a 17-year-old 
boy created a sensation by telling the members what the baby- 
beef organizations of Texas are doing. The membership of the 
baby-beef clubs is restricted to boys, and the object of the clubs 
is to excel in rushing calves to early maturity. The boys have 
the incentive of prizes, some of which are contributed by the 
Texas Cattle Raisers' Association. The advent of the Texas 
cattlemen into the baby-beef ranks is significant of a change in 
their methods. Formerly their chief concern was numbers ; now 
it is quality. The immature animal was once their aim; now it 
is the finished bullock. Though this promises more beef, it is 
one other condition that works toward fewer cattle from the 
ranges for feeders in the Corn Belt. 

In the Northwest country the vast irrigation pro jets under- 
taken in recent years have resulted in the raising of great quan- 

—56— 



titles of alfalfa and other forage crops. Tl;e bulkiness of these 
crops and the distance to market make it imperative that they 
be fed to live-stock. Irrigation has also increased the produc- 
tion of sngar beets, and wherever there is a sugar mill many 
cattle are fattened on pulp and tops. These changed conditions 
in the Northwestern range country have also helped to diminish 
the number of stock cattle and feeders available for Corn Belt 
feeders, while at the same time augmenting the beef supply. 
The fact that there is an enormous shrinkage on fat cattle and 
sheep shipped to central markets from the distant Northwest, 
while discouraging to shippers, is not sufficient so as to outrank 
the benefits derived from feeding the crops where they are 
produced. 

These changed and changing conditions in the cattle-raising 
industry indicate a replenishment of the beef supply within a 
few years. More of the range cattle will be fattened on the 
range, and more farm-raised cattle will be fattened on the farm. 

While there will always be some stockers and feeders available 
from the range country, they will not supply the enlarged ca- 
pacity of the Corn Belt region for finishing cattle. More cattle 
must be raised on farms, and some of the biggest cattle finishers 
have already accepted the changed conditions. 



FEEDING METHODS DISCUSSED BY 
DEMONSTRATION AGENTS 



Silos and Silage Are Given Great Boost in Address Before 

Body of Government Men in Oklahoma City — Boys 

and Girls Clubs Are Given Hearty Endorsement 

— Kansas and Oklahoma Cattle Buyers Are 

Now Getting Busy in Texas 



Boys' and girls' clubs, dry farming, ensilage and the values of 
various crops as food for live-stock were some of the subjects 
discussed by the Texas Demonstration Agents of the United 
States Department of Agriculture Tuesday afternoon at the meet- 
ing of agents in the auditorium. 

"Ensilage and progressive methods of feeding will solve the 
live-stock problems of West Texas," said T. P. Metcalf of Ama- 
rillo. State Feeding and Demonstration Agent. "I recently 
conducted a contest for the comparison of ensilage and grass as 
to their feeding values. I fed two lots of cattle of 54 head each 
for 48 days. The two lots weighed practically the same at the 
start, but the ensilage and meal-fed cattle gained three and one- 
third pounds per day and the grass and cotton-cake cattle gained 
about two-third of a pound per day. The ensilage cattle gained 
142 pounds and the grass-fed cattle gained 12 pounds. They 
were then driven 18 miles to a railroad and enroute the grass- 
fed cattle lost 24 pounds and the ensilage-fed cattle lost 55 
pounds. They were shipped to market and both lots lost 55 
pounds on the way. From the time we bought the cattle to the 
time we sold them, the grass-fed cattle lost 47 pounds each and 
the ensilage-fed cattle gained 32 pounds each. The grass-fed 
cattle brought 7 cents per pound and the ensilage-fed cattle 
brought $7.50 per hundredweight. The matter of feed alone 
made a difference of 79 pounds each in these lots of cattle. Each 
ensilage-fed animal netted us . $10.85 more than the grass-fed 
cattle. The difference in price received for the two lots was 
$585.90. 

"It is impossible to fatten cattle in winter on grass. I have 
heard several men say they considered straight ensilage better 
than cotton-seed hulls." 

The price at which ensilage is sold in Texas was discussed. 
The prices named ranged from $3 to $10. 

—58— 



Dr. Proctor called attention to the fact that, as cotton-seed 
hulls sell for $10 per ton, and as ensilage is admittedly better 
food than hulls, ensilage should sell for at least $10 per ton. He 
said the average cost of producing ensilage is $2.25 per ton and 
said that, considering the low cost of producing it and the high 
valuation being put on it by those who buy and sell it, silos will 
doubtless help reduce the high price of meat. 

"Some breeders consider ensilage worth twice as much as 
hulls for fattening purposes," said J. L. Quicksall, Assistant 
State Agent of Waco, who acted as chairman. "If every person 
in the United States would raise a surplus yearling, it would not 
reduce the cost of meat in this country. The Southern States 
are going to have to supply this country with meat. Don't sell 
your corn and then buy meat. Sell you corn on foot and not on 
the ear. 

"Encourage the farmers to plant crops that will grow every 
year. Uvalde County formerly raised cotton entirely and bought 
$100,000 worth of feed from outside the county every month. 
Since our demonstrator has been there they raise enough feed 
to supply the county and they are raising more cotton than ever 
before. It is not necessary to raise corn to fatten hogs. The 
prize-winning hogs at the Fort Worth show last fall never saw 
a grain of corn. Plant peas or peanuts or any grain and let the 
hog harvest his own living." 

Mr. Quicksall related an instance in which a farmer had 
turned his hogs into his pea field and put them in condition for 
the market at a cost of 3 cents per pound. And he added that 
Fort Worth is paying about 9 cents per pound for hogs. 

0. J. Stitt of Memphis, Hall County, said that a pretty good 
menu for hogs is barley and wheat, with a little corn for dessert 
to fill them out. 



Suggestions on Feeding Corn Ensilage 

Ensilage is not a balanced ration. Something should be fed 
with it. Corn ensilage is a food which may be termed "grass 
like." For this reason it can be used very much as pasture in 
the feeding of domestic animals. The analysis of good corn en- 
silage, however, will show that it is richer than a great many of 
the pasture grasses and, therefore, will go farther in feeding. 

As soon as the silo is filled the feeding operation may start 
and, though it be in the heating process, it will be just as good 
food and will be relished by the animals quite as much as old 
silage. It is generally conceded, however, that silage which is 
several months old is better than newer silage. Some feeders 
prefer silage that is six months to a year old. However, it may 

— 6S— 



be safely said that silage can be fed from the time the blower 
pipe is taken out of the silo until the feeder desires to open his 
silo, and this may be after it has stood for several years. 

Silage is strong in carbohydrates, the principal food require- 
ment for all animals, but needs protein to balance it. Alfalfa 
hay is perhaps the cheapest and best for this purpose. Through- 
out the alfalfa belt it should form a part of the ration where 
silage is used. This is not necessary, but simply makes it pos- 
sible for the feeder to gain a greater economy in his operations 
and at the same time give the animal a w^holesome balanced 
ration. 

Corn silage may be fed out of doors in bunks, in the stall, or 
in fact any place where animals can eat it without waste. In 
very sever weather it is best to feed silage inside, as some will 
freeze and this will be hard for the stock to masticate, although 
the feeder need not be alarmed over feeding freezing silage. It 
will not injure the animals, but frozen food is not easy for them 
to consume. 

In feeding milch cows it is a very good plan to give the hay 
in a rack outside or some place where the animals will not waste 
it, and feed the ensilage in the barn after milking. It may be 
given twice a day in rations from 10 to 15 pounds at a feeding 
or 20 to 30 pounds per day. Some large animals will take as 
high as 40 to 50 pounds of silage per day and make good use 
of it. In fattening stock or steers, silage may be fed twice a 
day in small rations ranging from 10 to 15 pounds as a feed for 
grown stock and for young animals from 6 to 12 pounds. Sheep 
will consume from 2 to 4 pounds daily and horses from 4 to 
12 pounds when not working. It is not advisable to feed work 
horses large quantities of silage, no more than to give them large 
quantities of new grass. 

It requires a feed shortage to make the silo popular with some 
people. It is during a time of short feed that it is made to 
appear valuable. 



How to Make Money 

No up-to-date dairyman or cattle feeder need buy very much 
outside of his own manufacture to feed his beef and dairy cat- 
tle. If he will purchase a first-class round silo, and fill it with 
good mature silage at the proper time, he need not buy any stock 
foods or appetizers. Silage has a flavor that makes every kind 
of stock around the place have an appetite. 

Silage is a succulent food, rich in carbohydrates and poor in 
protein. Therefore it must be fed with some other food rich 

—60— 



in protein to balance the ration. Here the farmer comes in again 
as the manufactnrer and supplies this protein with alfalfa; or 
if he has not alfalfa, good clover or pea hay will answer. This 
can be manufactured on his farm, and we assert tliat if a man 
has good silage and alfalfa, clover or pea hay, he need not buy 
an ounce of mill feed, as he has almost a balanced ration, and 
his cows will be sleek and in good order and will give a line 
flow of milk. His steers and young cattle will do better than 
on any other feed he could feed. The great secret of making 
money on the farm in the dairy and cattle business is to manu- 
facture w^hat you feed, and when you sell your milk, butter, and 
your young cattle the money stays with you to invest. But 
where the man hauls his milk to the creamery and hauls back 
as much concentrated foods and mill feeds as his milk comes to, 
he is not getting paid for his labor. 

Therefore, we urge every farmer, dairyman, or cattle raiser 
to get in the manufacturing business and manufacture his own 
food products. We can assure you he has only to make this 
start when he will see the great gains in his net profits. When 
our farmers, dairymen, and cattle-raisers come to comprehend 
all the fine possibilities there are in a well-managed farm, they 
will not only be prouder of their profession, but will make more 
money. 



Silo Conclusions 

The following conclusions of facts were arrived at after five 
years' investigation at the Storrs Experimental Station. 

1. The fermentation of corn silage is essentially the change 
of sugar into several acids. The most important change is the 
conversion of a part of the sugar by lactic acid bacteria into 
lactic acid. A second change is produced by the action of yeasts 
on the remaining sugar, changing it to alcohol. The acetic bac- 
teria change the alcohol into acetic acid. 

2. The exclusion of air is necessary for the proper production 
and preservation of silage. 

3. The walls of a silo should be non-conducting to heat, cold, 
and moisture. 

4. Mature corn makes silage of better quality with less waste. 

5. Silage undergoes a ripening, somewhat similar to the ripen- 
ing of cheese, which softens the fibre, and makes more digestible 
the proteins and adds new and agreeable flavors. This ripening 
occupies from three to four weeks. 

6. A silo is the cheapest form of storage. 

7. Any farm product can be siloed, providing there is sufficient 
sugar in the mixture to be fermented into acid to preserve it. 

—61— 



8. The following mixtures silo successfully and make a -very 
desirable and nearly balanced ration: Alfalfa and rye, clover 
and timothy or wheat or oats, and peas, and corn and cow peas 
or soy beans. 

9. Nothing excels the feeding of silage, especially legume si- 
lage, during the dry summer months, for keeping up the milk 
flow to its highest point. 



Every Dairyman and Cattle Raiser Should 
Have a Silo for the Following Reasons: 

1. Because corn ensilage is the nearest and most economical 
substitute for pasture grass, which is the most ideal of all our 
rations. 

2. That an acre of corn ensilage yields from 600 to 2,000 
pounds more nutrients per acre than any other of the farm 
crops. 

3. That there is a great economy of space in its use. 

4. That its use makes it more pleasant to feed stock and also 
saves a great deal of time and labor. 

5. Because with its use in the winter ration, larger gain in 
milk flows are the results. 

6. With its use, practically the entire food value of the corn 
crop is saved. 

7. That the silo enables the farmer to keep double the number 
of head of stock on the same farm. 

8. That our fields are cleared and ready for fall wheat or 
rye, as all cornstalks are safely stored in our silo instead of 
going to waste in the fields. 

9. Lastly, and probably the most convincing of all, is the fact 
that practically every farmer now using the silo would not do 
without it. When we can grow and store away for winter use 
a food that takes the place of pasture, and that food can be raised 
on our farms at less cost than any of our present feeds, the 
equipment for the storing of such feed should be installed on 
every stock and dairy farm. 

One acre of corn made into silage will produce more feed than 
four acres of clover hay. 



— C2— 



SIZE, WEIGHT, AND CAPACITY OF ROUND SILOS. 



Outside 


Height 


Approx. 


Approx. 




Cows 


diameter 


in 


capacity | 


weight of 


Acre/5 


wintered 


in feet. 


feet. 


in tons. 


Silo. 


Corn. 


180 days. 


8 


20 


23 


3000 


IVato 2 


6 to 8 


8 


24 


28 


3600 


11/2 to 2y2 


7 to 9 


8 


30 


33 


4500 


SVa to 4 


9 to 11 


10 


20 


30 


3826 


2 to 3 


8 to 10 


10 


24 


36 


4540 


2V2to 3 


9 to 12 


10 


26 


40 


4935 


3 to 31/2 


11 to 13 


10 


30 


48 


5729 


3y2 to 4 


13 to 15 


12 


20 


45 


4490 


21/2 to 3 


10 to 13 


12 


24 


55 ., 


5438 


31/2 to 4 


14 to 18 


12 


26 


60 


5835 


4 to 41/2 


15 to 18 


12 


28 


66 


6340 


4 to 5 


16 to 18 


12 


30 


75 


6790 


4y2 to 5 


15 to 20 


14 


20 


60 


5300 


SVsto 4y2 


15 to 18 


14 


24 


73 


6385 


4y2to 5 


16 to 20 


14 


26 


80 


6930 


5 to 6 


18 to 20 


14 


28 


90 


7435 


5y2 to eya 


20 to 24 


14 


30 


100 


7975 


6y2 to 7 


24 to 26 


14 


32 


110 


8540 


7 to 8 


24 to 28 


14 


34 


120 


9180 


7y2 to 8y2 


24 to 30 


14 


36 


130 


9775 


8 to 9 


25 to 30 


14 


38 


80 


10350 


9 to 10 


28 to 34 


16 


24 


95 


7200 


6% to 7 


25 to 27 


16 


26 


103 


7850 


7 to 8 


25 to 28 


16 


28 


111 


8425 


7y2 to 8 


28 to 30 


16 


30 


120 


9100 


8y2to 9 


28 to 34 


16 


32 


130 


9500 


9 to 10 


30 to 35 


16 


34 


142 


10400 


9y2 to 11 


32 to 38 


16 


40 


170 


11800 


11 to 12 


35 to 40 


18 


24. 


120 


7400 


8 to 9 


28 to 34 


18 


26 


130 


8500 


8 to 9y2 


30 to 36 


18 


28 


140 


9500 


9y2 to loya 


34 to 40 


18 


30 


150 


10300 


10% to iiy2 


38 to 42 


18 


32 


162 


10900 


11 to 12 


40 to 45 


18 


40 


205 


1 13600 


13 to 14y2 


50 to 55 


20 


24 


140 


8250 


8 to 9y2 


30 to 36 


20 


30 


185 


11500 


11% to 12% 


45 to 50 


20 


34 


217 


13200 


14 to 16 


50 to 60 


22 


30 


226 


12600 


15 to 17 


65 to 70 


22 


38 


300 


16500 


20 to 21 


75 to 80 



More Facts About Silage 

The Dairy Division of the Department of Agriculture has for 
a number of years conducted experiments in growing, preparing 
and feeding silage. The results of these invsetigations have 
lately been summed up by the Department in Farmers' Bulle- 
tin 578. 



^63— 



Cost accounts kept for silos on 31 farms in Wisconsin and 
Michigan show that the cost of putting up a ton of silage varies 
from 46 to 86 cents. Cost records kept for 87 silos in various 
parts of the United States give 87 cents a ton as the average 
cost of filling. 

"The cost of producing a ton of silage," explains the Depart- 
ment, "varies, of course, with the acre yield, the cost of growing 
an acre and the cost of filling the silo. In general, it may be 
stated that from $1.50 to $4 a ton represents the limits between 
which most of the silage is produced. ' ' 

As to the use of silage the Department draws from its records 
of various feeding experiments with various classes of cattle sev- 
eral rations that have been found to give satisfactory results. 

Rations for dairy cows are classified in accordance with milk 
yield and the quality of this yield, as follows: 

For a 1300-pound cow yielding 40 pounds of milk testing 3.5 
per cent : Silage, 40 pounds ; clover, cowpea, or alfalfa hay, 10 
pounds; grain mixture, 10 pounds. 

For a cow of the same weight yielding 20 pouncis of 3.5 per 
cent malk: Silage, 40 pounds; clover, cowpea, or alfalfa hay, 
5 pounds; grain mixture, 5 pounds. 

For a 900-pound cow yielding 30 pounds of 5 per cent milk : 
Silage, 30 pounds; clover, cowpea or alfalfa hay, 10 pounds; 
grain mixture, 11 pounds. 

For a cow of the same weight yielding 15 pounds of 5 per 
cent milk : Silage, 40 pounds ; clover, cowpea, or alfalfa hay, 
pounds : grain mixture, 5 pounds. 



A good grain mixture to be used in a ration that includes 
silage and some sort of leguminous hay is composed of: Corn 
chop, four parts ; wheat bran, two parts ; linseed-oil meal or cot- 
ton-seed meal, one part. 

The Department classifies rations for fattening steers accord- 
ing to locality. The following rations have been found highly 
satisfactory for a 1000-pound steer: 

For the Corn Belt : 

Ration 1. Corn silage, 25 pounds; corn stover, 6 pounds; cot- 
ton-seed meal or oil meal, 3 pounds ; shelled corn, 14 pounds. 

Ration 2. Corn silage, 25 pounds; clover hay, 7 pounds; 
shelled corn, 15 pounds. 

For the Eastern States where hay is very high and corn is 
relatively high : 

Corn silage, 30 pounds; corn stover, 6 pounds; cotton-seed 
meal or oil meal, 4 pounds; shelled corn, 10 pounds. 

For the South where cotton-seed meal is of moderate price 
and cowpea hay is raised on the farm : 

—64— 



Ration 1. Corn silage, 35 pounds; cowpea hay, 8 pounds; cot- 
tonseed meal or oil meal, 7 pounds. 

Ration 2. Corn silage, 80 pounds; eotton-seed hulls, 12 pounds; 
cotton-seed meal, 7 pounds. 

For the West where corn cannot be raised : 

Ration 1. Kaffir silage, 30 pounds; prairie hay, 3 pounds; 
cotton-seed meal, 3 pounds; kaffir meal, 10 pounds. 

Ration 2. Kaffir silage, 25 pounds; alfalfa, 7 pounds; kaffir, 
15 pounds. 

In conclusion the Silo Publishing Company wishes to inform 
Ihe readers of this book that we are not agents nor are we con- 
nected with any silo company either manufacturing silos or silo 
machinery, but if the reader is desirous of getting in touch 
with one or more relable companies who are selling silos and 
silo machinery in this State, we will be glad to refer you to 
several concerns that we have investigated and know to be per- 
fectly reliable. 

The author of "Silos and Their Uses" has made rather an 
exhaustive study of silos and machinery necessary to equip one 
and may have overlooked some valuable data in compilling this 
book, so we have decided to open an information bureau and at 
any time should any of our readers wish or desire any informa- 
tion along our lines, we will be glad to furnish you such informa- 
tion as you desire to the best of our ability. 



-65- 



Develop Your Raw^ Lands 
Into Ideal Farms 




VIRGIN SOIL 



PLOWING EXPERTS 

We will contract to grub, clear and break lands with Gas Tractor 
and Engine Gang Plows. 

Lar^e Tracts Specially Solicited 
Satisfaction Guaranteed 
Prices and Terms Reasonable 

During t e past three years we have grubbed and cleared and 
broke thousands of acres in many sections of South Texas. Our work 
speaks for itself. We can do your work quickly and on short notice 
and save you money. 

References, any Bank in San Antonio. 
Correspondence invited from interested parties. 

Tractor Land Development Company 



610 Gibbs Building 



SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS 






Most Central Location in Town 

When in San Antonio garage your car with us. We operate iJk- 
largest fire proof garage in Texas. Accommodations fn 
hundred automobiles. Open day and night. 

Distributors for the Famous 

Red Michelin Inner Tubes and Michelin Casings 

The Best That Money Will Buy 

AGENTS FOR 

PACKARD, REO, APPERSON and 
DETROIT ELECTRICS 

CITIZENS AUTO CO. 

San Antonio, Texas 222 Travis Street 



Heusinger Hardware Co 

110-112 Main Plaza 

610, 611,613,615 Market Street 



AGENTS FOR 

McCormick Harvesting Machines, Genuine Oliver Plows, Culti- 
vators and Planters, Planet, Jr., Farm and Garden Implements. 
Cane Mills and Evaporators, Corn Crushers, Barb and Smooth 
Wire, Hoes, Rakes, Picks and Mattocks, and the best line of 

SMALL TOOLS USED ON FARM AND HOM£ 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




002 766 109 9 ^ 




Will Run on Gasoline, Naptha. Kerosene, Solar Oil or Distilla te 

Krueger- Atlas Portable Engines 

Are specially adapted for silage cutters. We manufacture all sizes. By buying an engine 
made at home you save time and expense when in need of repairs in case of breakdowns. 

SAN ANTONIO MACHINE AND SUPPLY COMPANY ®'^\e5I?'*'° 



J. H. HAILE, Vice-President R. R. RUSSELL, Prcsidenl THOS. E. MATHIS, Cashier 

GEO. D. CAMPBELL. Vice-President A. G. ENGELKE, Asst. Casluer 



State Bank and Trust Company 

(A GUARANTY FUND BANK) 

Capital and Surplus $610,000.00 
Total Resources over $4,000,000.00 



We invite you to open an account with us. Every accomo- 
dation consistent with sound banking 
extended to our customers 



313 E. Houston St. 



San Antonio, Texas 



mS^^OF 





Sl!C«ESS 



°°0^7fetlog<5 



HolU^ger Corp. 
pH 8.5 



